Surprise
by Jisafanfiction
Summary: Lisa finds herself in a complicated situation once she finds out about her pregnancy. With the chaotic life at Heartland there is no place for another baby. Especiall so short after Amy gave birth to Lyndy. How long will she be able to keep it to herself? And how will her family react to the shocking, but also exciting news?
1. Ages

Ages

So to make a few things clear. For this story I changed up the ages a bit. So here is a list with the ages of every character for my story!

Lisa: 32

Jack: 50

Lou: 26

Amy: around 21

Georgie: 13

Katie: 5

So these are the ages of the most important characters. I know they are like a lot younger than on the show now, but for me that's the best way to write it, because Lisa is not too old so it's not impossible for her to get pregnant and if I would want her to maybe get pregnant again it would still work. So I hope you all respect my decision for the ages and I hope you still want to read this!


	2. Chapter 1

So this is a jisa fanfiction where Lisa will be pregnant so if you don't like the idea of her being pregnant or don't feel comfortable with it, I have a good idea… Don't read it! I don't want to be hated for my ideas… You're not forced to read it so keep your negative crap to yourself!

For the rest: Lisa and Jack are around the age from season 1 so all of this is possible, but with the storyline from season 11 so Amy has a baby. The only thing different is that Lou and Peter are still married (I don't really care if it's Peter or Mitch but chose Peter because it's just easier) and Lisa sold Fairfield.

The heartland household had been really crowded the past few weeks. Lisa moved in with Jack, Amy had a baby and even Lou came back for an unknown amount of time. This made the house full and the work doubled. Amy was thankful for the help with the baby, she was getting from Lisa and enjoyed her time off. When Lisa wasn't watching the baby, she was cooking or helping Jack.

She didn't miss her life as a business woman and was content with her life the way it was. Just the morning sickness she experienced for the past days made her feel exhausted and tired. She shrugged it off as a flu or something similar.

She was just stepping out of the shower as Lou knocked on the door to Lisa and Jack's bedroom. "Can I come in?" Only being covered by a towel, Lisa didn't want to face Lou in that state. "Right now isn't a good time. I'll be right out."

She hurried to dry herself off and put her wet hair into a bun, so it wouldn't drip all over her clothes. She dressed and looked into the mirror, not being content with the new bought outfit, because it was too tight around the stomach area.

She didn't have the time to change so she just went with what she had on and made her way into the kitchen, where she found Lou. "You wanted something from me? Or did you want to talk to Jack?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you."

"Sorry I was just getting out of the shower and wanted to finish getting dressed first."

"Is that outfit new? It looks great!" Lou, the fashionista of the family, said.

"Yes, but I feel like I gained a lot of weight since I bought it. It doesn't fit anymore… And I barely ate the last few days, because nothing I ate stayed inside for very long."

"Normally you _lose_ weight when you don't eat," Lou said and Lisa gave her a warning look.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Could you maybe watch Katie later? Peter and I have a business meeting and I don't want to ask Amy… She already has enough work with Lyndy."

"I don't know Lou… Jack and I wanted to enjoy the first quiet evening for a while."

"Pleeease?"

"Lou I have watched Katie for the past three days… I need time to myself, you know."

"But this is important for us… You were a business woman before Lisa so you must know how important these things can be." Lou knew she convinced Lisa the moment she mentioned her life before Heartland.

"Fine... But don't be back too late so we can at least enjoy a bit of time alone."

"Thank you! You're the best!" With that Lou disappeared as fast as she came and left Lisa to think. "Am I getting fat?" she asked herself a little bit too loud. "No, Lisa you don't…" Amy said as she entered the kitchen, making Lisa blush.

Lisa intended to keep that thought to herself, not knowing Amy entered the house. "But I've gained so much weight around my stomach area without eating! Everything I ate the past few days found its way out again…"

"When you say it like that it almost sounds like you're pregnant," Amy said, laughing. But she was the only one. The suggestion didn't sound too crazy to Lisa. She was late on her period and now that… No, it's just menopause. But at 32?

"You look like you're considering what I just said. That's stupid. Don't waste your time thinking about it. I bet you're just getting a flu," Amy said and Lisa nodded her head. "I think I'm going to go and buy something against the flu then," Lisa said, denying the fact she could be pregnant.

It sounded so weird to her that she shrugged it off and drove into town to get something against her sickness.

She grabbed all the stuff she needed to fight off this flu, but stopped as she was walking past the pregnancy tests. Battling with herself she finally grabbed three after hesitating for a second and made her way towards the check out.

The thought made her go insane and she needed to be sure that it was impossible for her to be pregnant right now. She silently cursed Amy for placing that thought in her head and drove faster than usual.

She locked herself in the bathroom, they shared with the rest of the family, and fought with herself. She didn't want to know the answer to that question, afraid of what would happen if the results were positive. Of course she thought about becoming a mother, but she didn't know how Jack felt about that.

She finally mustered up the courage to take the tests and the few minutes she had to wait felt like an eternity. When she saw the results she didn't want it to be true. She couldn't believe that Amy guessed right and that she was in fact pregnant.

All she could do was cover her mouth with one of her shaking hands as the first tear rolled down her cheek. She couldn't believe it. Now, where everybody needed her help with children or work, she was pregnant…

There couldn't be a more unfitting time. She heard a knock on the door and threw all of the pregnancy tests into the trash can, wiping away her tears. She opened the door and saw Lou standing in front of her.

"Hey… Lisa is everything alright?" she asked as she saw the tear stained cheeks of her step grandmother. "Yeah, everything is alright. Don't worry about me."

Lou shrugged it off as nothing and went on. Lisa made her way into the kitchen, feeling the need to drink a glass wine. She knew she couldn't do so, so she got a glass of cold water instead. She sat down on the round kitchen table and buried her face in her hands.

She felt lost and didn't know what to do next. She didn't know how the family was going to react. Of course, Jack and she had been married for four years, but she just didn't know if the baby was welcomed.

Everybody was so focused on their own problems that there seemed to be no time for another baby in the house so she decided to keep it to herself for a bit longer.


	3. Chapter 2

The fact that she was pregnant had Lisa confused and shook. Even Katie seemed to notice that something wasn't right with her favorite great grandma. "Lisa…" the child said, because Lisa had been lost in thoughts for a while now.

"Mhh?"

"What do you think about my idea?"

"I'm sorry Katie, but I'm not feeling so well right now."

"But I wanna go play!"

"Katie, I said I'm not feeling so well."

"But that's so unfair! You promised we'd play!"

"Katie enough!" Lisa yelled just as Jack entered the living room with a bag of Chinese take-out food. As soon as the smell hit Lisa's nose, she ran into the direction of the next bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

A confused Jack told the even more confused Katie to stay there and ran after his wife, finding her bend over the toilet. He pulled her hair back and rubbed her back soothingly. After she finished vomiting, she sat down next to the toilet and buried her face in her hands.

Jack flushed the toilet and sat down next to her. "Everything alright, Lis?" he asked and put an arm around her, pulling her close. "I don't know…" she said and felt truly lost. She wanted to tell him, but not like this and not at that moment. She wasn't ready to tell people when she wasn't at peace with it herself.

"You've been off today. Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Yeah, I am sure. It's just… I think I'm getting th flu and the stress with Katie and Lyndy wore me out today."

"I'm going to talk to Lou and Amy. It's not right that they use you as their personal baby sitter."

"No, Jack it is fine. I just need a few hours to myself and I'll be back to my usual self."

"Then you go and lay down, I'll take care of Katie."

"Are you sure? You've worked all day and I promised you we'd spend the evening together."

"Lis, don't worry. You're not feeling alright and that's okay. You don't need to torture yourself like that."

"Thank you," she said and stood up slowly. He left her in the bathroom and went back into the living room, where Katie was playing with her dolls. "Did I do that to Lisa?"

"No, Katie you didn't. Lisa is just not feeling well, that's all."

"Are you going to play with me then?"

"Yes, of course!"

…

Jack brought Katie to bed a while later and cleaned up the mess they left in the living room. He planned on talking to Lou about Katie and her responsibilities as a mother, but he went to look after his wife at first. She was sleeping peacefully in their bed and he admired her from far away, not wanting to wake her up.

He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be married to her. Then he heard the front door open with laughter followed shortly after. He got angry at the behavior of his granddaughter and her husband so he closed the door quietly and went into the direction the voices came from.

"Can you please be quiet? Do you even know what time it is? Lisa and Katie are sleeping already," he said and looked at the pair of them angrily.

"I'm sorry grandpa… We couldn't know that."

"And besides that… Why weren't you here taking care of your child?"

"Peter you can go and make sure that Georgie doesn't stay up too long. I'll take care of this," Lou said and waited until he was out of reach.

"What is wrong grandpa?"

"You need to ask me that? You left Lisa with your child! For the fourth time in a row!"

"I asked her and she said it's fine with her."

"I bet she didn't say that. She is sick and when I came home she didn't look too good. And besides that, tonight was supposed to be a date night."

"Well maybe I convinced her to, but she said she would do it. She could have said no."

"No, she couldn't have. Amy and you have been making her to your personal baby sitter. That's not okay. Take care of your children. She is not here to do your job…" he said and with that he disappeared.

…

The tension between Jack and Lou was noticeable when the whole family ate breakfast together the next morning. "I wanted to apologize Lisa. I shouldn't have pushed you into watching Katie," Lou said and Jack just huffed.

"No need to be sorry," Lisa said, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes and everybody noticed it. She didn't dare to eat something, afraid of throwing it up. The complete opposite of Lisa was Peter. He was smiling from ear to ear, almost bursting from excitement.

"I have to announce something," Peter said and everybody looked at him confused.

"We are getting another child," he said happily and Lou looked at him stunned. "We are?" she asked confused. "You don't need to hide it anymore! I found the pregnancy tests in the trash. You could have told me you are pregnant!" he said and Lou's eyes shot to Lisa.

The shock was written across her face and Lou knew that they were hers. That's why she was crying when she came out of the bathroom the day before. Now everything made sense… "Um honey… I'm not pregnant," she said, but decided she couldn't do that to Lisa. "I threw them away for a friend of mine. She didn't want her husband to know so I took them," she added and Lisa looked at her thankfully.

"So there won't be another baby?" Peter asked disappointed. "No, there won't… At least not from us." Everybody started laughing at the confused and disappointed look of Peter. Everybody expect Lisa, who was happy for not being in need of a good explanation.

Lisa excused herself and went into the barn, enjoying the silence there. She hoped Lou wouldn't tell anybody. She knew and that made Lisa uncomfortable. She wanted to tell people when she was ready and now Lou knew, because she forgot to get rid of the tests.

"Lisa…" Lou said and Lisa knew it was time to explain.


	4. Chapter 3

It took a while until Lisa had the courage to say something and Lou gave her that time, not wanting to pressure her into saying anything she wasn't comfortable with. So the two women sat in the hay and just stayed silent for a while.

"I'm pregnant," Lisa finally said and a small tear rolled down her cheek.

"Lisa that are wonderful news! And it explains the sickness and the weight gain. Ah I'm just so happy for you and grandpa!" Lou said, not noticing the sadness in Lisa's face and voice.

"I just don't see the wonderful in this. You said it… He's your grandpa. I'm a step great grandma."

"But Lisa… Grandpa must be happy about the news. He loves children."

"He doesn't know yet."

"What?"

"You are the first person to know this beside me. I found out yesterday. I was talking to myself about getting fat and Amy joked about me being pregnant. I just couldn't get rid of the thought so I needed to be sure… Well I am not really happy with it."

"But why?"

"Well, I think I am afraid of how Jack will react. And then the rest of the family… I mean Amy just gave birth to Lyndy and now I'm pregnant… That's not exactly the best timing."

"You need to stop worrying about others Lisa. You are becoming a mother and it's the greatest thing you'll ever experience. Jack will love the baby as much as he loved my mum and he'll be over the moon to hear these news! And the rest of the family will have to like it or else they'll have a problem with me! Nobody dislikes my pregnant step grandmother!"

"Stop it… You make me sound so old. I'm only six years older than you. Well, I guess you are right. Maybe this baby will be the best thing that has happened to us," Lisa said, finally starting to like the thought of this baby.

"When are you going to tell grandpa?"

"I want to make it special so probably not today. I want the moment to be right. You don't become a father every day…"

"So I need to keep it a secret? Lisaaa! You know I'm not good at keeping secrets!"

"Well you'll need to keep this one secret."

"This will kill me..."

"Don't be so dramatic!"

"Hey, you were the one being dramatic about gaining a few pounds even though you look extremely beautiful."

"Thank you," Lisa said and took Lou into her arms. The two of them stayed a bit long in the barn, talking about this and that before the two of them headed into two different directions. Lisa went back inside, happy and smiling from ear to ear. She knew that she had to tell Jack soon, but she wanted it to be perfect.

For the first time in weeks she had nothing to do and time to sit down and watch some tv. That became really rare since she moved in with Jack. She always had something to do and so she was grateful for this moment of silence.

She flipped through the channels but there was nothing interesting so she turned it off, sighing.

"Hello beautiful," Jack said as he entered the living room and gave his wife a kiss before sitting down next to her. "Hey handsome."

"What are you doing?" he said as she placed her head on his chest and snuggled up to him.

"At the moment I just want to stay like that. The last time we had time to ourselves seems like ages ago."

"I know… It's been a lot of work the past few weeks."

"Tell me about it."

"Lou and Peter are going out with the children so we have the house to ourselves," Jack said and Lisa smiled.

"That sounds great."

"Do you have an idea what we could do?"

"Mhm," she said as she looked up and kissed his lips softly. "I have a great idea…" she said seductively and bit her lower lip.

"I think I like that idea Mrs. Bartlett."

"I like the sound of that."

"Of what?"

"Mrs. Bartlett. It makes me feel at home."

"I like the sound of that, too."

The two of them went back to work short after and Lisa was already planning her pregnancy reveal for Jack. "He's gonna love it," she said to herself, not noticing that Amy had joined her in the kitchen.

A startled Lisa replied with, "Uhm… Tonight is the first night we have the house to ourselves since I moved in here and-"

"Urgh… I don't even think I want to know what he's going to love."

Lisa laughed at the reaction of Amy. But she had to admit that it was an awkward situation for both of them. So she made the best of the situation, leaving the room, but saying, "Make sure to stay out of the house for tonight." On the way out.

She walked into their bedroom, knowing Jack won't be back for a while. She got into the shower, washing her hair and blow drying it later. She made sure to wear one of her nicest dresses and to put on some make up.

She had written a letter earlier and would give that to Jack when the moment was right. She decorated the living room romantically and she didn't have to wait for long before Jack walked through the door, looking surprised.

"Lis… This looks so beautiful!"

"You like it?"

"Yes, and look at you… You look gorgeous," he said and kissed her lips softly.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she said and giggled out of happiness. He pulled her in for another, more passionate kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he did so. As the two of them broke apart Lisa beamed at him.

"You're up to something… I can see it in your eyes!" he said and she had to giggle again.

"Wait here… I have to show you something."


	5. Chapter 4

I stumbled across a review about my lack of creativity, because it's another fanficion where Lisa is pregnant. I know, it seems like the same concept, but I just get inspired by my own pregnancy. It just reminds me what an amazing experience it is to be pregnant (Even though it sucks sometimes) and that's exactly what happened when I started writing this. I will be posting a normal Jisa fanfiction where she won't be pregnant as soon as I finished this one! And I'm sad to see that the same person can't really read, because I said that she is YOUNGER THAN IN THE SHOW at the beginning of the chapter and this person still felt the need to make a comment about it…

But for the rest of the sweet comments, thank you! It's awesome to see that people are liking what my crazy mind comes up with and every review makes me want to write more and more!

Lisa came back with a small letter inside of her hands and smiling from ear to ear. Jack still couldn't believe that he was so lucky to be able to call her his. She gave him the letter and he looked at her confused.

"What is that, Lis?"

"You have to open it to find out."

Jack opened the letter and Lisa just couldn't hold still anymore. "You and me equals three?" he read out loud. "What does that mean, Lisa? I'm maybe not the best at math, but I know that that equals two," he said and Lisa just beamed at him.

"Believe me when I tell you it does equal three."

"How?"

"You have to figure it out on your own."

"Lisa, I have no idea. We are only two human beings? Why three?"

"I can't believe you don't see what I mean," she said, laughing. "I'll give you one hint, but only one." She took a pillow and shoved it under her dress to look like a belly.

"Oh my god Lisa!" Jack said as soon as he got the hint and kissed his wife passionately. "You're pregnant?" he asked, now beaming as well. "Yes, I am."

The two of them stood in the middle of the living room, with Jacks hands cupping her face and both of them on the edge of tears.

"Oh my god I can't believe we are becoming parents! That's amazing Lis!"

"I know…"

"Imagine all the things we can do, like decorating his room and building his crib!"

"How do you know it will be a boy?"

"I just know, Lis! You make me to the luckiest man alive! I have the best wife on earth and now we are going to become parents! We need to tell everybody!"

"Wow, calm down for a second, Jack. First of all I need to go to my doctor and then we can tell everybody."

"Who knows about this?" Jack asked, overwhelmed with happiness.

"Lou, but she guessed after Peter found the pregnancy tests in the trash can."

"So they were yours?"

"Yeah they were mine. Lou helped me by lying to all of you."

"I'm just so happy at the moment."

"I'm glad you are happy. I was scared to tell you at first. I thought you wouldn't like it… I mean Amy just had Lyndy and we have a lot of work already…"

"Don't ever think that! I love you and this baby more than you could ever know. I know it's a lot of work and Amy had Lyndy, but nothing is better than becoming a father yourself! I would never not like something we made," he said and kissed her again.

"I know, Lou said so, too," she said and smiled at her husband lovingly.

...

The two of them celebrated the evening properly and enjoyed the time they had to themselves. They were still beaming the next morning at breakfast. Even Katie noticed this. "You look so happy Lisa and grandpa," Amy said and Lisa just smiled at Jack.

"We do?" Lisa asked and smiled even wider. Lou couldn't hold back a chuckle and everybody looked at her confused. Jack gave her a look that told her 'don't you dare' and so she said, "I just chuckled, because you all act like they can't be happy."

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better Lisa. I know what not being able to keep anything down feels like. When I was pregnant with Lyndy, the morning sickness killed me during the first few weeks," Amy said and Lisa looked at Jack, who almost burst out of happiness.

"So you're acting really weird. Like you are trying to hide something," Georgie said and Lisa looked at her innocently. "Well what should we hide from you? We barely left the house the past few days."

"She has a point on that one," Peter said and Jack put his hand on top of Lisa's, wanting to be as close as possible to his wife. "Did you enjoy your evening together?" Lou asked and Amy immediately said, "Don't answer that one! I don't want to know if he really loved it like you expected it."

Lisa started laughing, remembering the conversation they had the prior day. "But I want to know what happened between you two," Jack said and pointed his finger at Amy and then Lisa. "Nothing…" Lisa said and smiled at Amy, who turned bright red.

"Well there must have been something, because Miss blushing over there looks like a tomato right now," Jack said.

"Well there might have been a joke," Lisa said and Lou saved Amy from more embarrassment by saying, "Now I don't want to know…"

The rest of the breakfast went by mostly silent. After everybody left to continue with their day, Lou and Lisa were alone in the kitchen. "So you told him?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"Uhm yeah. The two of you were smiling like crazy and all over each other."

"Do you think they know what's up?"

"No, I don't think so. Amy refuses to even consider grandpa is having sex and Peter bought the lie."

"I'm glad he did, because I want to be sure everything's alright before we tell everybody. I have an appointment tomorrow and when we figured everything out, we will tell them."

"So now to the important part… How did grandpa react?"

"He was over the moon. He couldn't have been happier! I thought he was going to explode out of happiness."

"Did he cry?"

"He might have," Lisa said and smiled at her widely.


	6. Chapter 5

The next day Lisa went and saw her doctor. She was incredibly nervous, because the thought of being pregnant gave her nightmares. Part of her couldn't let the negative thought go so she kept the fear of this pregnancy to herself, not wanting anybody to know.

She was scared and hoped secretly that would turn out to be not true. But it did. The doctor did three different kind of tests and all turned out to be positive, as expected. They did an ultrasound and Lisa knew she should be happy, but something inside of her couldn't be.

She knew that Jack and Lou were happy and would give her all the support she needed, but she wanted to crawl into her bed and cry. She wanted children, but it never happened so she kind of forgot about it.

But the way her life turned out… She was happy the way it was and she saw what effects pregnancies had on women when Amy and Lou were pregnant and to be honest. It scared her a lot. But the worst thing in her eyes was the birth itself.

Lisa was a person with a very low pain tolerance, meaning she wasn't sure how she would handle the painful contractions. She sat in her car, looking at the picture of the ultrasound in her hands. Five weeks… The picture barely showed anything, but what she saw made her tear up.

She was going to be a mom. That was for sure. There was nothing to change about that. Now it only took time for her to get used to the thought of carrying a child. Jack would be happy to hear that there was a mini Jack or mini Lisa on the way and Lou would be over the moon that there would be another baby in the house.

Lisa was surprised that Lou was so happy for her, because the two of them have fought in the past. Especially at the beginning of Jack and Lisa's relationship. Lisa often had the feeling of being not wanted. Lou was just so ungrateful for the first few years.

But then she really got around and the two of them have grown quiet close. Lou's travelling was the only thing keeping them from becoming best friends. She slowly got herself back into a presentable shape and made her way back to her home.

She hung her coat onto the hanger when she heard Lou say, "And pregnant or not?"

"God Lou. You scared me to death," she said and held onto the wall as she tried to calm her beating heart.

"What? Pregnancies are usually something to be happy about so I don't get why it should scare you," Lou said and Lisa knew she was being sarcastically.

"Oh that was so funny Lou. Do you see me laughing?"

"No, but no spill the tea."

"I'm 100% pregnant. He did three different kind of tests. Blood, urine… and well the last one we better not talk about."

"There are only two other options left and I wouldn't like any of them."

"So how did your doctor test you?"

"Blood and urine. I didn't want those other options. I'm very picky when it comes to these kind of things."

"Well I wanted him to be sure so I just went along with it. But why are we even talking about this? You are my step granddaughter for god's sake!" Lisa said, realizing the weirdness of this situation.

"What we are two women talking about doctors sticking their-"

"Lou I warn you. Stop talking or I will throw up. And I'll make sure to do that into your direction."

"Oh come on… Now you are acting like Amy!"

"No, I am not!"

"You are both so immature!"

"Excuse me. I am not immature! I just don't like to talk about… that. I'm married to your grandfather."

"And?"

"It's just weird."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is!"

"What is what?" Amy said, entering the kitchen.

"Nothing," the two women said in unison. "okay…" Amy said and went to the fridge, taking out the orange juice. "You two are acting weird."

"No we are not," Lisa said.

"Then what were you talking about before I went in?"

"Oh just doctors stick-"

"Lou I wasn't kidding!"

"Okay you two are definitely acting weird."

"Nope… Just talking about Lou's friend pregnancy and she felt the need to tell me how her doctor found out."

"Well what's so bad about a blood test?"

"Well it wasn't a blood test…" Lisa said and Lou began laughing. She enjoyed Lisa's discomfort.

"Urine?"

"No…"

"What tests are there left?"

"Well…"

"Are you serious Amy? Did your doctor not tell you the different options?"

"No we just went with the blood test."

"Well I think I should head out to bring Jack his lunch," Lisa said and walked back towards her jacket.

"Lisa…" Lou said.

"Yeah?"

"You need to take the lunch with you," Lou said and handed her the box Lisa prepared in the morning.

"That would be good. Thanks Lou." With that she disappeared into the direction of the fields. "Well she is definitely acting weirdly," Amy said.

"She has reasons to."

"And what would that be?"

"I remind you that you were also acting weirdly only a few weeks ago."

"Well I was pregnant. Lisa can't be."

"Ever considered that she might be?" Lou said, knowing her little sister would refuse to even consider that an option.

"No, Lou!"

"What? Grandpa is only a man! He has sex as much as you do!"

"Stop!" Amy began walking towards the door and Lou yelled after her, "You know that he has!"

"Immature," she said as soon as she was all alone.


	7. Chapter 6

Lisa found Jack a while later and walked with lunch in her hands towards him. "Hey," he said and kissed her softly. "Hey," she said and smiled at him. "I brought you lunch." He took the bag out of her hands and thanked her.

She turned back towards her car, but he grabbed her hand and said, "You could stay with me for a while…"

She smiled at him and the two of them sat down under a nearby tree. She leaned against his shoulder and felt content. That was all she wanted to do. Cuddle with her husband and enjoy the silence surrounding them.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked and she looked up at him.

"Nothing."

"And I'm Santa Clause."

Lisa chuckled before she said, "You know me too well."

"I've known you for eight years, I suppose it would be a shame if I didn't."

"Yeah, you are right. I was thinking about my doctor's appointment today…"

"How did it go?" He said, taking her hand in his.

"He confirmed the pregnancy… I'm truly pregnant."

"Something tells me you're not really happy about that."

"Well, I just got so used to thinking I would never become a mother that the thought of this pregnancy unsettles me."

"Lisa…"

"No, I am happy… I just need to get used to it. I mean…" she said, the first tear streaming down her cheek.

Jack wiped it away slowly and waited for her to continue speaking. "Heartland is so crowded at the moment. Amy just gave birth and Lou, Peter and the kids stay there at well. I just feel so bad about this. They are your family and I'm… I'm just a complication."

Jack sat next to her, taking in her words and thought carefully about his next words. "You are as much family as they are and if you think you and our child are a complication then I'm sorry I made you feel this way. I love you two very much and wouldn't trade you for a single thing in the world. I'd rather have all of them move out than you feel bad about your presence here."

He pulled her in for a tight hug and didn't let go of her until she stopped crying. The two of them didn't have to say anything. A comfortable silence surrounded them and none of them wanted to change that.

…

A few hours later the whole family sat down for dinner. There wasn't really enough space for all of them, but somehow they made it work. Lisa felt a bit better about this situation thanks to Jack. She wasn't ready to tell the whole family. She was just getting used to it and didn't need everybody fussing about her.

"We run out of space around the table," Ty said, making a few of them laugh.

Lisa's smile faded and she lowered her face until she stared at her plate. "Well that wasn't very nice," Jack said and looked at Ty disappointedly. "I didn't say anything mean," he said and looked at Jack confusedly.

Lisa took her plate and excused herself, disappearing into the kitchen. She got rid of the food and cleaned it before she almost ran out of the front door. Hot and salty tears made her cheeks burn. She wrapped herself in her coat, which she had grabbed on the way out and started walking into the direction of the dude ranch.

It would take her a while, but she would be at least alone.

…

Meanwhile the rest of the family had finished dinner in silence. Jack decided to not go after her, expecting her to disappear in the stable. He knew she needed time to herself. He knew Ty's comment got to her. Especially when she felt so insecure about her living with them.

Jack knew that Ty didn't intent to hurt her, so he couldn't be angry at him. Enough time had passed so he decided to go after her. His heart rate quickened when he didn't find her anywhere around the ranch.

He went back inside and said worriedly, "Does anybody know where Lisa is?"

"No, Grandpa. Is something wrong?" Lou said and all of them looked at him worriedly. "I don't know. I couldn't find her anywhere."

"Maybe she went to the dude ranch? She spent a lot of time there during the past few weeks," Amy said and Jack remembered her car standing next to his.

"But that would mean she walked… It's too cold outside!" He said and hurried back out and got into the car. He would find out if Amy was right.

…

Lisa heard a car pull up and stop a few cabins next to her and she got off the bed, wiping her tears away. She had enjoyed her time and used it to think about what Ty had said. She decided to ignore it and not let it get to her.

Jack had told her that he wanted her around and that was all that counted. She saw Jack get out of his car and opened the door of the cabin, leaning against the door frame. "Thank god I found you!" he said and ran towards her.

He pulled her in for a tight embrace and she snuggled her face into his shoulder. "I was worried!" he said with a shaky voice. "You found me," she said and hugged him even tighter.

"Don't you ever disappear like that again!"

Sorry for the long wait! I will try to get more chapters done until the end of this week!


	8. Chapter 7

The two of them spent the night at one of the cabins after reminiscing in old memories. Lisa woke up first and smiled as she realized where she was. Her head laying on top of Jack's chest, hearing his heart beat and no children screaming.

She studied the face of her still sleeping husband and felt truly content for the first time in a while. Being part of the Heartland household meant a lot of stress. While the support and the love she got from this family was amazing, she was overwhelmed by the tasks the family life brought with it.

She took a deep breath and pulled the blanket up to her nose, trying to fall asleep again. She felt movement and a kiss on top of her head. "Morning gorgeous," a still tired Jack said and Lisa opened her eyes again to find him admiring her.

"Morning," she said and planted a soft kiss on his lips. "Did I wake you?" he asked and she shook her head. "No, I think I woke you," she said and chuckled softly. "Nah," he said and wrapped his arms around her.

"I could get used to this," she said and sighed slowly.

"To what?"

"To not being woken by the screaming of a baby or a kid."

"Yeah, that's something I could get used to as well!"

"Maybe in another lifetime."

"If we are lucky enough Amy and Ty will move out and we have the ranch to ourselves."

"In what world do you live in? The last time I checked your grand daughter and her husband didn't intend to move out any time soon."

"A baby can change a lot. Maybe they want more space…"

"And move back into the house once Lou's and Katie's room is free."

"I don't think they would do that… I mean they wanted to be independent. Why move back in with us?"

"Because of the lack of space?"

"Then let me tell you that I won't let them move back in with us. I will think of something to prevent them from doing so."

"You just need to drop a few hints about certain noises and Amy will be running out the door," Lisa said, laughing.

"Aha. And what noises would that be Mrs. Bartlett?" Jack asked, kissing her lips softly.

...

The two of them made their way back an hour later. Neither of them wanted to give up the peace and quiet, but both of them knew they had things to do. They agreed to tell everybody about the pregnancy at dinner so they wouldn't get caught up in lies.

They changed their clothes and both went on with their day separately. While Jack began working on the fields, Lisa started doing laundry and taking care of Lyndy. Holding Lyndy in her arms made her think of her own baby. Would they be able to handle this?

That's the moment she realized that they had the whole family to help them just like she helped Amy with Lyndy. They would never be alone in this. Amy, Ty, Lou and Peter would always help them. She smiled at the baby in her arms and Lou sat down next to her.

"A baby in your arms suits you," Lou said and Lisa elbowed her.

"What… I'm just saying," Lou says and beams at Lisa.

"Spit it out. You are about to burst."

"Peter and I are going to take the girls with us so you and grandpa can concentrate on… you know what."

"Oh, that's… great news I suppose."

"I thought you would be happier. I mean you will have the house to yourselves and nobody will be here to disturb you."

"I know, but I just got so used to them being here that I will miss them and you," Lisa said. She knew that she always complained about the lack of privacy in this house, but the thought of half of the family gone unsettled her as well.

"Do they know?"

"Well Katie knows, but we still need to tell Georgie."

"You need to tell me what?" Georgie asked, entering the room. "Your mom wanted to tell you that you need to watch Katie tomorrow. Your grandpa and I will be out for dinner and so you two will be alone," Lisa said and Lou shot her a thankful look.

"But I wanted to meet my friends!"

"Well, Lisa has watched Katie the past few weeks so I think it won't you to stay home once," Lou said and Georgie disappeared. "Thank you… I don't want her to find out like that."

"No problem."

"So when will you tell everybody the big news?"

"We wanted to tell you all during dinner today. That's why invited everybody over. Even Tim will come."

"That's good, because I don't think I can not tell everybody for much longer."

"Well, good that you only have to wait a few hours until you can talk about it."

"I can't wait to see Amy's face!"

"Leave your sister be! She's only human," Lisa said and laughed as she put Lyndy back into her crib. "I'm mean to her, she is mean to me. That's how being sisters work."

"Well, if you think. My sister and I never got along so I get where you are coming from."

"Wow you never talk about your sister. What is she like?"

"Believe me when I tell you that that's a road you don't want to go down," Lisa said and left the room without another word.

Wow two chapters in a day! Lucky readers!


	9. Chapter 8

The day went on and Lisa and Jack were anxious about dinner. Both of them wanted everybody to know the news, but the two didn't know how to break the news. Lisa cooked dinner as usual, but she seemed off to Amy, who was doing paper.

"Is something wrong? Should I leave?" Amy asked and Lisa looked at her confused.

"Why should you? There is enough space for the two of us."

"You just seemed so… nervous."

Lisa tried to overplay her nervousness, but wasn't too convincing. "I'm just wondering how we'll be able to sit at the table together."

"Why? Yesterday proved that it's possible."

"Yeah, but Tim will be here for dinner."

"My dad will come over for dinner? Is today a special day or something?"

"No. Your dad has eaten dinner with us more often than Lou has in the past year, so I don't see why that's special."

"He's just so busy with everything going on that he told me he wouldn't be able to spend so much time here at Heartland."

"Well, I thought it would be nice to have him over so I called him. Maybe you should, too," Lisa said and turned her attention back to the food.

…

Time passed quicker than she had wished and the whole family was seated around the table. God knows how they managed to do that. Jack looked at her a few times, the nervousness written across his face.

She was reminded of the day dinner they wanted to announce their marriage during dinner and how wrong that went. She hoped for a better ending this time. Jack grabbed Lisa's hand and she knew instantly that he wanted to make the announcement.

"Everybody listen please," he said a bit louder and the conversations stopped. Everybody looked at him and Lisa saw Lou giving them a thumbs up. "Lisa and I wanted to tell you something."

"We have been married for three years and together for eight. Now that we have finally settled in we were surprised to find out that Lisa and I equal three," he said and Lisa had to prevent herself from laughing.

"But grandpa… How can you two equal three?" Amy asked and Lou had to chuckle at the stupid question. "Oh my god! Congratulations!" Tim said and he smiled from ear to ear. "Wait. Why congratulations?" Amy asked, still confused about the situation.

"Well we'll need your help with babysitting soon," Lisa said and Georgie looked at them even more surprised than Amy. "You're pregnant?" Amy and Georgie said at the same time and Lisa nodded slowly. "That's so cool!" Katie said and hugged her.

"So you and grandpa will have a baby?" Amy asked and the two nodded in unison. "I'm so happy for you!" Peter said and Georgie agreed as soon as she got used to the thought of her great grandpa becoming a father again.

…

Later that night Jack and Lisa were lying in bed and Lisa just felt so touched by the positive reactions of her family. She would have never thought that they would accept it that easy. She imagined the worst case scenario where she had to move out and live alone.

Jack pulled his wife closer and whispered softly into her ear, "Was it as bad as you imagined?"

"Your family is truly the best. They were all so sweet and caring."

"You're wrong."

"What?"

"This is _our_ family. Not only mine."

"I'm sorry. _Our_ family is the best!"

"Yeah, you are right. I just think Amy needs to get used to the idea of getting a step aunt…"

"I mean, I understand her. How would you feel if your grandpa would have another child after you had your first?" Lisa said and closed her eyes slowly.

"I guess you're right. I just wish she would have been a bit happier when we told her. You know, she could have at least acted a bit happier."

"Don't be mad at her. I still remember your strict rules when Ty moved in her. They were teens and you were just old and mean," she said, laughing.

"I wasn't mean. I prevented a teen pregnancy."

"Oh, come on. You know Amy would have never done this. Look how long it took them to becoming parents…"

"Better safe than sorry," he said and kissed the side of her head.

"Well she'll come around and be happy eventually. She loves you more than you know. It'll take time," Lisa said and deep down she agreed. She had wished that Amy was happier, but she couldn't say that.

She needed to comfort him. The last thing she wanted was the two of them fighting. "Has Lou already told you the news?" Lisa asked to change the subject.

"News? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't tell her I already told you."

"Of course not!"

"They will take Georgie and Katie with them when they leave."

"They what?" Jack said, not believing what he had heard.

"They want to give us some privacy and space when the baby is born."

"But Georgie has her life here… They can't just take her with them."

"They're her parents. I'm afraid they can."

"I mean, I know that they only want to do us a favor and I'm thankful for that, but they need to think about Georgie as well. With the two of them working, she'll be bored and become rebellious."

"I know that. While I would really like the peace and quiet… I would miss them. They have been a part of this household for such a long time that it just feels wrong. They don't need to move out just because there will be a baby."

"I will talk to Lou. She needs to let at least Georgie stay here…"

"Now good night. I'm tired and tomorrow will be a hard day. Love you," Lisa said and kissed her husband goodnight.


	10. Chapter 9

The next day everybody met at the breakfast table. Lisa prepared the breakfast while everybody else was getting ready for their day. The morning sickness had been getting worse and Lisa thought about going to the doctors, because she hasn't been able to keep anything down. What concerned her the most was the loss of weight she discovered before starting breakfast.

She thought morning sickness was normal in a pregnancy, but the constant vomiting and the dizziness that often went with it concerned her.

Everybody was eating something, but Lisa just watched them. She didn't want to give her stomach a reason to empty itself. "Don't you want to eat anything?" Jack asked after a while, but Lisa just shook her head. "I don't feel too well and I don't want to upset my stomach any more than I already did," she said and everybody went on with their conversation, but Jack was worried about his wife.

"When was the last time you ate something Lis?"

"Maybe yesterday?"

"I heard you throw up quite a few times yesterday. So when was the last time you ate something that stayed in your stomach?"

"Maybe three days ago. Could be four. I am not so sure."

"You should go and see a doctor, Lis. That's not normal. You need to be able to eat something. You look a bit dehydrated. Your lips are all dried up and I'm worried."

"You don't need to be worried Jack. I'm fine."

"I'd feel better if the doctor said you're fine so would you do me the favor and pay your doctor a visit?"

"If it makes you happy, I will," Lisa said and smiled weakly. The events of the previous week had drained her energy and the lack of food made her more exhausted as usual.

Jack kept an eye on his wife during the rest of breakfast and hoped the doctor could help her. He knew that this wasn't the normal morning sickness you experience. He had seen many women go through pregnancies before, but none of them had it as bad as Lisa did. He just wanted to be sure that she and the baby are fine.

…

Lisa was on her way to her doctor a few days later. Nothing had got better during the last few days much to her disappointment. In fact it had got a bit worse to the point even Amy started to worry.

"Mrs. Stillman. What brings you in?" her doctor asked as he sat down.

"I've been experiencing extreme morning sickness. I haven't been able to eat anything. Even crackers won't stay down for long. I've been feeling a bit dizzy and have experienced heart race quite a few times over the last few days up to maybe two to three weeks."

"That's interesting… Did you loose any weight?" he asked and she slowly nodded.

"It's not much, but it's the main reason I made an appointment. I'm just worried that there is something wrong."

"Well I do have an idea what it could be. There is a thing called severe morning sickness. The nausea and vomiting that happens in a case of severe morning sickness are so extreme that they can have harmful effects on both the mother and baby. The inability to keep down food makes it difficult for a woman to meet her nutritional needs. As a result, she might lose weight. And a loss of fluids, combined with the loss of stomach acid that occurs during vomiting, also can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances."

"That sounds familiar to me," she says and starts to worry even more after she heard that it can be harmful to the baby.

"What can you do against it, because to be honest I don't think I can continue like this… It drains my energy and I can barely do anything because of exhaustion."

"Although treatments that are commonly used for morning sickness, such as eating dry crackers in the morning or consuming a bland diet, may be recommended for women with extreme morning sickness, they may not be effective on their own because of the severity of the condition. There are many options. For example medical treatment. That could mean a short period of not eating by mouth to rest the gastrointestinal system, IV fluids or vitamin and nutritional supplements."

"That means I need medical treatment?"

"Well not necessarily. If the severe morning sickness can't be controlled through other options such as consuming a bland diet, eating frequent small meals, drinking plenty of fluids when not feeling nauseated, avoiding spicy and fatty foods, eating high-protein snack and avoiding sensory stimuli that can act as triggers, then we are giving you medicine to stop it. And then we'll see if it's better to give you the medicine in for of pills or IV. So you see there are many options to help you!" 

"So I try it with all the options you have suggested first and if that doesn't help I'll come back to discuss any further actions."

"You're right. I'll write the options down for you since I mentioned quite a lot."

"Thank you so much!"

…

Lisa felt better knowing that there is a cure to all of this. She came home to an empty house and felt a bit less stressed. She knew that taking care of everything around here might be much on top of her pregnancy and morning sickness.

She didn't feel like cleaning the kitchen or vacuuming the living room so she looked through their fridge to see if there are any food items that fit into her new diet. She knew it would be hard to stick to that diet with everybody eating delicious and also fatty food.

As she looked through their food she discovered that there was not even one thing that fit into her new eating schedule. She closed the last shelf and sighed in frustration. She thought about ignoring her growing hunger, but knew she needed to finally eat something.

She made her way into town and went into the first supermarket she could find. Once there she realized that she had no idea what she could eat on a bland diet so she looked it up on the internet, being let unsatisfied.

"So I'm practically almost vegan. The only meat I can eat is skinless chicken and dairy should be avoided if possible. Well that's just great," she said to herself as she scanned the supermarket for any food she could eat.

It turned out that her shopping cart was filled with not many different things, but mostly vegetables and protein bars. She drove home and was still a bit upset that that was her diet for the next few months.

…

She stored her food items and decided to go for a tea first. Chamomile tea was recommended and luckily her favorite tea. While she waited for the tea to be ready, she started dinner for the rest of the family and something separate for herself.

While the rest of the family would be able to eat lasagna she would be eating boiled carrots and peas with no seasoning. On top of that she dared to eat a small piece of skinless chicken as recommended. She already dreaded the tasteless food, but knew she need to eat something and this would be the best choice.

Soon the whole family was seated around the table and she served their dinner first. She didn't have the time or opportunity to talk to either of them about her appointment and new diet so all of them were surprised when she sat down with different food on her plate.

"What are you eating Lisa?" Katie asked innocently. The little girl was jealous that her great grandma didn't ask her if she wanted to eat some of her food as well.

"I'm eating boiled carrots and peas with skinless chicken. Everything unseasoned… You wouldn't want to eat that sweetie," she said and looked at her food unhappily.

"And why so bland? I didn't know you are that type of person." Ty said and everybody looked at her surprised.

"Well that's my new diet for the next few months. I went to doctors this morning because of my extreme morning sickness and was diagnosed with severe morning sickness, which means I have to stick to a bland diet and a few other things. If that doesn't help I have to get medical treatments to help my through the morning sickness," she said and Jack looked at his wife worriedly.

"But the baby is fine, isn't it?" he asked and she nodded.

"It is. I just have to be cautious about what I eat from now on."

The whole family fell into conversation easily and began eating. Lisa, who still was very unhappy with the whole situation, slowly took a piece of carrot and could swallow without chewing thanks to the mushy consistency.

The food tasted bland and she didn't like it at all, but for the first time in days she didn't have to vomit after eating something. She felt quite content with that achievement and was able to forget about the damn diet for a while.

…

Later that evening Lisa and Jack were sitting on the couch, cuddling. That's when her insecurities and anxieties hit her once again. The thought of being pregnant still scared her and her diagnose was just another reason for her mind to tell her that she wasn't good enough for either Jack or the baby.

Her last marriage with Dan had left her insecure on the inside. The side not many people got to see. She could play the confident business woman very well, but it only took Jack's strong embrace to make her thick wall crumble.

She never liked to admit it, but he had made her softer. He made her believe in good things again. He gave her a reason to believe in love again. She knew that she should be happy about this baby, but deep inside she just couldn't.

Even after all the love she received from Jack and the rest of the family, she still felt wrong and uncomfortable with the current situation. This problem came from deep inside and couldn't be erased by simple words and she knew that.

She didn't want Jack to know how she felt after all the effort he had made to make her feel loved and welcome. She didn't want him to think of her as unthankful. She didn't want him to think of her in any kind of negative way.

Her normal way of dealing with this issue was eating chocolate. Chocolate made everything better in a way nobody can really explain. But thanks to the diet she wasn't allowed to eat her comfort food and so she was stuck with a damn protein bar.

She sat back down next to Jack and tried the bar carefully.

"Doesn't taste good?" Jack, who had watched his wife closely, said. He saw that something bothered her. He knew that this whole situation was still getting to her in a way it shouldn't. But he knew better than to pressure her into telling him that. She would tell him when she was ready.

"I want chocolate," she just said.

"Well you can't have that. Why not be happy with what you have?"

"Because this sucks. It tastes not good at all."

"Is it really the protein bar that bothers you or are you just letting your anger out on it?"

"Of course it's just the taste of the damn thing," she said and he knew she wasn't ready yet so he didn't push her any more. She would come to him…

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but my pregnancy is coming to an end and I'm just felling like I'm about to die. Hah should know better after my last pregnancies. Hope you like it!


	11. Chapter 10

Two week had passed and Lisa's condition still hadn't changed. The new diet helped a bit, but overall wasn't doing the wished for job. So she found herself in her doctor's office yet again.

"So it hasn't got any better with the new diet and given tips?"

"No, in fact it has just got a bit more bearable."

"I can see. You look tired and your dried lips are a sign of dehydration. So how's the vomiting? Gone?"

"I wish. Three times a day on average."

"Well, that is not a good sign."

"I already thought that."

Lisa had felt incredibly weak during the past few days. She was confused most of the time and couldn't really concentrate. Jack tried to help her the best he could and the other family members were suddenly always busy and Jack was extremely angry at them for treating Lisa like that after all she had done for every single one of them.

"Well could you please lie down over there and I'll get someone to prepare the IV. I'm afraid there is no other way," he said and Lisa tried to stand up, but the dizziness made her sit back down.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just need a second."

Lisa forced her body up a second time and felt her knees give away underneath her. She fell backwards and everything went black for a few seconds.

"Help! Somebody call an ambulance!" the doctor yelled and rushed to her side. Lisa opened her eyes slowly, feeling dizzy and nauseous. "What happened?" she said and tried to stand up, but her doctor pushed her softly back down.

"You just fainted. You're dehydrated and the ambulance is on its way! It'll be best for you to get back to being healthy as fast as possible and the hospital can provide the proper care you need right now," he said and she shook her head slowly.

"No! I don't want to go to the hospital! I can't…" she said weakly.

"Yes, you can! And you will. It'll be best for you," he said.

Lisa didn't even realize that so many nurses had entered the room, shuffling around her. She knew that this was serious and that her doctor was probably right, but she still refused to accept that she had to take a few days off.

She hated hospitals since her dad died and so she was very good at avoiding them up 'til now. The ambulance came a few minutes later and she was brought to the nearest hospital where she was put on an IV and got all the vitamins her body needed in form of pills.

…

She was asleep when Jack entered the room. He was called half an hour ago and almost dropped the phone when he heard that Lisa was in the hospital. He imagined the worst case scenario and was almost relieved when he heard that Lisa was only dehydrated.

Now that he saw his sleeping wife he noticed for the first time how bad she really looked. She had dark circles underneath her eyes and her lips looked so dry.

How could he not see that? He was supposed to look out for her. The sickness really got to her and he didn't realize how much it actually did. He knew that when she'd come back home they all would have to help her way more than they currently did.

They depended on Lisa in so many ways. It only took them a few weeks after Lisa moved in to get lazy. She did the household and cooked for them. Even after they got to know about her sickness Jack was the only one actively helping her.

He knew they needed to change a lot of things. They couldn't just leave her alone with the work. He knew that all of them had found it very easy to do that, but he saw the effects of all the pressure they put on her.

He sat down next to her and felt sorry for all the things he did and didn't do. He took her hand into his and kissed it slightly. He would hire someone to do most of his work. They had the money to do so and Lisa needed him.

"How long have you been sitting there?" Lisa suddenly asked and he looked at his smiling wife.

"Not long. I just arrived. How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing fine. The medication has helped me a lot. I haven't thrown up in a while and I don't feel as bad as I did this morning."

"Oh Lis… I was so worried when they called me. I thought something bad happened."

"I know. I didn't want to go to the hospital. I just fainted at the doctors and they called the ambulance. All the work I have to do at Heartland… I just can't say here."

"Yes, you can. Ty and Amy will handle the work. Don't worry about that. You better spend your energy concentrating on getting better, Lis."

"I guess you are right."

"So how long do you have to stay here?"

"Maybe three to four days. They want me to get back to being stable. They said the diet couldn't work because my body was too dehydrated and lacking of too much nutrition. When my body has restored the nutrition I can go home and keep going with the diet."

"That's good to hear! I'm sure everybody will miss you terribly!"

"I just wish I didn't leave this mess behind."

"Don't you worry. I've told you Ty and Amy will take care of it! And after you'll be back home I'll hire a helping hand and help you around the house. I'll tell everybody to not rely on you so much so you can relax."

"But I don't want you to hire somebody when I'm fine doing the work on my own. And the others have so much work to do without doing mine."

"But you're pregnant and Amy didn't work as hard when she was pregnant, did she? And despite that, we have been relying on you too much anyway. You aren't a cleaning lady! You're a part of the family and they need to respect that."

"But Jack you really don't have to hire anyone. I'm fine on my own."

"No, you're not. See where it got you. If you hadn't been worrying about the work at Heartland you wouldn't have been avoiding the doctor's visit! And besides that, we have the money to hire somebody so why the heck not? I want to help you and god knows you'll need the help once you're in month nine."

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"What do you mean?"

"All I do is cause trouble and you still support me."

"You don't cause trouble. I love you and supporting you is all I want to do," Jack said and kissed his wife slowly. It hurt to think about the way she saw herself. He knew now that things really needed to change.

…

Jack made his way back home with a bad feeling. Seeing her like that pained him. He entered the kitchen and the first thing he heard was "Why is dinner not ready? Lisa normally finishes it around 7 pm. It's 8."

He looked at Amy and almost didn't believe his ears. How could his granddaughter have turned into this… brat?

"And by the way could you tell her that the laundry needs to be done?" Lou asked and Ty nodded in agreement. "Oh and she needs to drive me into town later," Georgie said and Jack almost lost it. The whole family was sitting in the kitchen and all they had to do was complain about things they could have done themselves.

"Have you all completely lost your minds? Lisa is not some kind of cleaning lady or personal chauffeur! She is a part of this family so start treating her like one!" he yelled and everybody looked at him surprised.

"Wow, calm down Jack," Georgie said and Jack just huffed.

"You tell me to calm down? I have just spent the last four hours next to a hospital bed and come home to complaining brats just to be told to calm down?!"

"Hospital?" Peter asked surprised.

"You heard right. Lisa is in the hospital. She went to her doctor this morning and fainted, because of dehydration! She hasn't eaten anything since last Thursday and all you do is complain. She does your work around the house, drives you everywhere you want and all while being pregnant! I can't remember any of you two doing that while being pregnant! And you still have the nerve to complain about every little thing she doesn't do right. I can't remember a time where I was this disappointed!"

"We didn't know that grandpa! We saw her eating and thought she was doing fine!" Lou tried to defend them.

"Well she didn't want you to see her throwing up every single thing she ate so I had to cover up for her."

"We didn't know that," Ty said and tried to calm him down a bit.

"Of course you didn't. Since Lisa has moved in here we all have treated her like an employee rather than a family member and took it too far. She didn't want to go to the hospital, because she worried about the work here. She could have died for god's sake!"

That's when it hit them. Jack felt the first wet trails on his cheeks and knew he had begun to cry. He was truly worried about his wife. Amy took him into her arms and soothed him as he cried into her shoulder.

"We are sorry grandpa. We didn't realize how much we relied on Lisa. We'll promise to help her way more than we did up until now," Amy said and the rest of them agreed.

"So how is she?" Georgie dared to ask. She felt sorry for the way she made Lisa drive her around.

"She is doing fine. They have her hooked up to an IV and she gets all the vitamins her body needs. She'll have to stay a few more days until its safe for her to go home."

"But the baby is fine, isn't it?" It was the first time that Amy had showed how she truly felt about the baby. She was as concerned as Jack even though she previously acted like she couldn't care less and it made Jack somehow happy.

"Yes, it is. It could have gone terribly wrong, but luckily both of them are going to be completely healthy."

"Well, that's good!" Peter said and all of them looked at each other regretfully.

"I want you to support her once she gets back. I'll hire a helping hand to take over a bit of my work and spend more time with her, but we need to support her more. With her sickness she needs to stick to a strict diet. She won't be eating with us all the time, because she needs to eat many small meals spread throughout the day so I'd suggest that we cook for ourselves from now on."

"Of course, and if there is anything else we can do let us know…" Amy said and patted her grandpa's back supportively.

"We all love Lisa and want the best for her," Lou added and Jack smiled sadly.

He hoped those wouldn't turn out to be empty promises. She needed the help and their family needed to realize that they have to do some work as well.


	12. Chapter 11

Jack went to the hospital the next day, realizing that he might have overreacted a bit. His family assured him that it was normal to worry about his wife when he had apologized to them during breakfast.

One good thing came out of his little outburst. The whole family started cleaning when he had left and even made breakfast for all of them. He was happy that they seemed to change. He stopped his car in the parking lot and made his way to the room Lisa lay in.

When he entered the room he was disappointed by an empty bed. "Ah you must be the husband," A woman in a bed at the end of the three bed room said.

"Depending on who is supposed to be my wife," he said and smiled at her softly.

"Lisa talked so much about you. It's refreshing to see somebody loving their husband as much as she does after being married for twenty years," she said and he was surprised at the years of marriage behind her. He wouldn't have guessed her older than thirty eight.

"Oh, I know what you're thinking. I don't look old enough to have been married for twenty years! I get that a lot. I married when I was nineteen and twenty years later I don't regret that decision at all."

"So it must have been real love," he said, feeling uncomfortable being alone with a stranger he just met when he wanted to visit his wife instead.

"Yes, it was. But excuse my manners. I'm Alex. And you're probably wondering where Lisa is, aren't you?"

"Yes, indeed."

"She just went down to get a tea in the cafeteria. She should be back any minute now," she said and the door opened only seconds after she finished talking.

"Jack!" Lisa said and practically ran into his arms. Jack pulled his wife close, kissing her tenderly. He missed her and wanted her at home with him but he knew that it was better for her to come back strong and healthy.

"I've missed you," she said, still in his tight embrace, and looked him deep into his eyes.

"I've missed you more."

"No, I've missed you more," she said and smiled that smile that made his heart melt and knees do weak.

"How are you two?" he asked and looked at her stomach.

"Well we are fine. I'm getting better and I'm already counting down the hours until I can finally go home. Our home…"

"Well, we are also counting the down the hours until we have you back."

"I love you, Jack," Lisa said and kissed him again. She wanted nothing more than being with him.

"I love you, too."

"You two get a room," Alex said and the three of them laughed at the comment. "Well you could just leave and we'd have a room," Lisa said and Jack found it relaxing to see that Lisa was getting alone with her roommate.

The time went by quicker than Jack wanted and it was time for him to leave. "But I don't want you to leave me already!" Lisa said and Jack felt sorry. He didn't want to leave, but rules are rules.

"I know. I don't want to leave either, but the time is up. I'll come back tomorrow and you then you can come home after tomorrow!"

"But I want to be with you now and not tomorrow!"

"I know, honey. I need to go now," he said, pulling her in for a passionate kiss.

"I'll miss you," she said and he saw tears in her eyes. He didn't like seeing her cry. "I'll miss you just as much as you miss me but remember, only two more days until you can come home!"

"I'll be looking forward to it!" Lisa said and watched her husband leave. She felt a single tear roll down her cheek. She knew it shouldn't affect her so much, but she hated being alone. Well she technically wasn't alone but she missed Jack.

…

Jack arrived at Heartland to find a perfectly clean home and cooked dinner. "Wow, this place looks so… clean," he said surprised at how tidy it looked here.

"We took care of everything while you were gone!" Amy said and all of them sat down for dinner.

"We wanted to apologize for not helping as much as we should have," Lou said and Ty looked at them lovingly. "I overreacted. I should have been nicer," he said patted Amy's hand.

"No, you were right. We could have helped way more than we did!"

"Well you took care of the house and dinner. I could get used to that," he joked and Katie sighed of exhaustion. "But GG I'm tired! This is so stressful," the little girl said and all of them laughed.

"Then you know what Lisa does every day," Lou said and the shocked facial expression of the girl made all of them chuckle. The innocence of a small child made Jack feel happy.

He knew this baby would be a challenge but he was up for it. He loved this baby and Lisa. He felt happy for this second chance and more than happy to have found love after Lyndy's death.

He couldn't be any happier at the moment. He finally felt complete again.

I'm trying to update as often as I can, but the chapters will be shorter than yesterday, because it's just easier for me to write. I hope you don't mind! Keep the reviews coming! I love reading what you guys think about this and am open to any suggestions!


	13. Chapter 12

"It's so good to be home," Lisa said as soon as she entered the familiar kitchen of Heartland, Jack right behind her. He put her back down and took her into his arms. "It's good to have you back," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"And it looks so tidy… Have you cleaned?" Jack started laughing at the thought of the entire family cleaning every little spot in the entire house.

"Well, I didn't. The whole family did. They wanted to surprise you," he said and she smiled at him warmly. "I really appreciate it," she said and placed her head on his chest. The two of them where standing in the kitchen, hugging each other, when Amy entered the house, Lyndy on her hip.

"Lisa! It's so great to have you back!" Amy said and went over to give her a hug after Jack released her from the tight embrace.

Lisa smiled at Amy and then turned her attention towards Lyndy. "Hello little girl. I've missed you so much!" Lisa said and took her into her arms, slowly bouncing the baby. Lyndy started laughing and began playing with Lisa's hair immediately.

"How are you feeling?" Amy asked and watched the woman interact with her baby. And for the first time she noticed with how much love she looked at the little baby. She always knew Lisa loved children but she had never noticed how she treated Lyndy like her own child.

This was a turning point for her. She had a hard time accepting Lisa's pregnancy, but now she felt at ease. She knew that this baby would be welcomed into a loving family with amazing parents.

"I'm feeling better than a few days before. Not too sure about my diet, but being pregnant isn't meant to be easy, is it?"

"Oh, tell me about. This little one gave me the worst kicks when she was still in my tummy," Amy said and Lyndy started giggling.

"You did, didn't you?" Lisa said in her baby voice and tickled the sides of the tiny person in her arms.

"You never told us how far along you are," Amy stated and Lisa looked at her surprised.

"Really?"

"Nope, but Lou and I made a bet," Amy said and Jack chuckled. "Always trying to beat each other…" he said and Lisa smiled at him lovingly.

"I'm about eight weeks pregnant. So I still have seven months to go," Lisa said and all of them sat down around the table, Lyndy in Lisa's lap.

"Hah, I won!" Amy said and made her happy dance.

"Anyway. Could you maybe watch Lyndy for a while? I need to help Caleb out and can't take her with me," Amy said and got an annoyed look from Jack.

"Lisa just got back from the hospital… Don't you think we should give her a break?" he said calmly and Lisa just answered, "I'm okay with it. I would love to spend some time with my little princess."

She gave Lyndy a kiss on her cheek and the bubbly six months old started laughing again. "You really don't have to if you don't want to. I can ask Lou."

"No, it's okay… I mean I don't have anything to do since you all cleaned the house already!"

"Thank you. See you later," Amy said and left short afterwards.

"You're too good for this world!" Jack said and kissed the side of her face.

"No, I just want to spend some time with my princess. I feel like she has grown a lot! Has little Lyndy grown? Huh?" she said and looked at her.

"You will be a good mom," he suddenly said.

"Huh?" Lisa asked due to her not listening to Jack.

"I said that you're gonna be a good mom!"

"How do you know that?" Lisa asked, smiling even though she felt a bit weird.

"The way you interact with Lyndy… You just love her with all your hard. You have a talent for kids. It's just so nice to see you so happy," he said and admired her.

"I love you," she said and kissed him softly.

Lyndy suddenly punched Jack softly and a quiet "Ouch!" left his lips. Lisa started laughing as soon as she realized that the tiny baby hat hit Jack. "Oh you don't like you GG kissing me, do you?"

"I guess she doesn't," he said and laughed softly. "You better get used to it young lady because I'm gonna kiss her as often as I want to," Jack said, tickling the baby.

"And what if I don't want to be kissed? What are you going to do then?" she asked teasingly.

"Well, I'm gonna kiss you anyways," he said and leaned in for another, deeper kiss. This time Lyndy didn't punch Jack but started crying instead.

"Oh don't cry sweetie," Lisa said and pulled her close. "I guess, she really dislikes us kissing," she says and looks at Jack, chuckling.

"Now I'm not even allowed to kiss my wife in my own house!" Jack said fake offended.

"I think you could have it worse," she said and smiled at him mockingly.

Lyndy calmed down almost immediately and Lisa rocked her to sleep and put her in her bed short afterwards. She joined Jack on the couch and cuddled up to him.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid."

"Afraid? What are you afraid of?" he said and looked at her worriedly.

"Of this whole thing. I'm afraid that the pregnancy is too much for us, that we won't be able to handle this… That I won't be able to handle this."

"But you're so good with Lyndy. What makes you think that it'll be different with our own child?"

"We have Lyndy for a few hours a day, but we'll spend the whole day, every day of the week with our own child. I've never been pregnant and this whole morning sickness is draining me! I feel so exhausted and my belly hasn't even grown yet! How am I supposed to handle all of this? I'm just so overwhelmed."

Lisa had started crying during her little outburst. Jack was happy that she was finally telling him what was bothering her the whole time. He knew she would come to him when she was ready…

Someone asked for more Lyndy so here she is! Hope this made you happy! Open for requests!


	14. Chapter 13

„How long has this been on your mind? " Jack said before he tried to comfort her.

"I don't know… Maybe a few days," she lied and he knew it. "Okay maybe since I found out that I am pregnant," she finally admitted.

"And why haven't you told me yet?" he asked and she tried to dry her tears, but they just kept coming out.

"Because I feel stupid."

"Why would you feel stupid? You know that we can talk about everything…"

"Because all you do is show me how much I mean to you and how we are going to make this work and all I do is complain."

"You do more than just complain. It's completely normal to feel this way. I know it's hard to get used to all of this, but you'll eventually find your peace. It's hard to be pregnant and you haven't had it easy lately. But you don't have to worry about it! Even if this is going to be hard for us, we still have a loving family that supports us. We'll have Ty and Amy to look after this baby and everybody will help us out!"

"I know, but I just feel so… lost," she said and he immediately knew that this wasn't the only problem. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" he asked but she just shook her head.

She felt totally overwhelmed by all of this. A few weeks ago her life had been turned completely upside down and she still couldn't figure out how to deal with the changes. Jack kissed the side of her head and wiped away her tears.

"You'll be a great mom. You don't have to worry about that. And all the other things we'll figure out as we go," he said and she smiled at him thankfully. He always knew what to say.

"I guess you're right," she said and placed her head on his chest, cuddling up to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even tighter. "I'm always right," he said and she laughed. "Not when you're doing math," she said and referred to the way he miscalculated their current situation and her pregnancy announcement.

He laughed softly and kissed the top of her head. "Well you can't be good at everything!"

…

Lisa had another appointment at her gynecologist to discuss further actions the following day. Jack had things to do so she went alone. She waited for her doctor to come in, as many times during the past two weeks.

"Hello, Mrs. Stillman," he said and shook her hand before he sat down in front of her.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm definitely better. The hospital allowed me to start eating after a strict plan to not upset my stomach too much and it works pretty well. I can finally eat something, even if it's not much," she said and he took some notes.

"So there is one other thing that I wanted to check. Severe morning sickness often occurs during a pregnancy with multiple babies so it surprises me that it happen in your case. The last time we did an ultrasound we only saw one baby. Even though it's rare I want to check if one baby hid behind the bladder or if there is really just one baby," he said and the mention of a possibility that there are more than just one baby growing inside of her made her insecure.

Lisa moved to the examination table and the pulled her shirt up. The cold gel was placed on her belly after a short, "Could be cold."

She didn't want to think, wishing that she had brought anybody with her. She didn't even want to consider being pregnant with more than just one baby. It just seemed like a too huge deal for her. She didn't dare look at the screen, afraid of what she could find there.

"Ah now I see," he said after moving around a bit and asking her to do different things. This was the first time she looked at the screen and a wave of happiness and after that fear washed over her. "Congratulations you're having…" but Lisa's mind just didn't listen.

She was frightened of what she saw and she knew that this would change everything.

…

She came home, threw her bag onto the kitchen table and went straight to her bedroom. She locked the door behind her what worried Lou, who was the only one home.

"Everything okay?" she said after she had knocked on the door.

"Yeah, I just need a minute," Lisa answered and Lou decided to let it go. She had quickly learned that it was best to leave Lisa alone in times like this.

"If you need anything, I'm in the kitchen," she said and disappeared back into the kitchen. She had been preparing lunch for everybody when Lisa came storming in. She knew something was up right away and hoped it had nothing to do with her appointment.

At first she didn't see it, it was not exactly big and covered almost completely by Lisa's bag. She wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, but she was sure that Lisa would be showing it to her sooner or later anyway.

She took the ultrasound picture from under the bag and her eyes grew wide with confusion. She immediately wished she hadn't taken the photo and discovered the secret it brought with it.

 _ **So what is your guess? One baby, twins, triplets or even more?**_


	15. Chapter 14

Lou stared at the picture in her hands. She couldn't believe it. She didn't know what to do with this discovery. She thought of many things that could have upset Lisa but this wasn't one of them! She heard the bathroom door unlock and put the ultrasound picture back into the purse quickly.

She brushed her hands through her hair and tried to act as normal as possible. Lisa came back into the room and Lou saw her tear stained face and knew instantly how Lisa felt about the news.

"So how was the appointment?" Lou asked awkwardly.

"It was good, I guess," Lisa said and looked around the room confusedly.

"Have you seen Jack's lunch? I wanted to bring it to him," Lisa said and started to look through random shelves.

"I already brought it… Is everything okay? You look so distressed. You know I'm here to talk if you want to, right?"

"Yeah, thank you. But I'm okay. Just a bit tired."

"Right… Then why don't you lay down for a while? I can take care of the work."

"No I'm fine…"

"But I'd love to help so…"

"Lou I said I'm fine," Lisa said through gritted teeth. She regretted it immediately. She was just so emotionally confused that she wanted to distract herself by doing something. She went back into the living room and looked around for something to do.

She saw her computer in the back of the room and started to do some paper work. She didn't want to think or feel. She wanted her problems to disappear and everything to go back to normal. She wanted Jack to be by her side but was too scared to tell him the reason why.

…

Lou had watched Lisa for the past two hours and began to worry. She had thrown herself into work and didn't even react to Lou's question. She was in her own bubble and Lou feared that she'd overwork herself.

She took the phone and dialed Jack's number. She knew he was the only one who could help in this situation.

"Hello?"

"Hey grandpa."

"Lou? Is everything okay? Or why are you calling?"

"I'm calling because of Lisa…"

"What happened? Is she back in the hospital? Lou, look I'm going to be there as soon as possible."

"Grandpa wait. She's fine… She just seems distressed. She came home and threw herself into work. She doesn't even realize that I'm talking to her. I'm just worried that she'll overwork herself."

"I'm coming."

Lou was relieved that he didn't freak out. She didn't want to cause any more drama than she recently had, but she felt helpless.

…

Jack arrived at the ranch and ran into the kitchen as fast as his legs allowed him. "Where is she?" he said before he even stepped through the door and Lou pointed towards the living room. He had been worrying about Lisa.

Lou's call had left him restless. He knew it had something to do with the appointment earlier that day. He just hoped that Lisa and the baby were fine. He stepped into the living room and his face softened when he saw his wife.

He walked over to her and sat down on the couch next to where she sat. "Lis?"

He got no response. "Lisa?" he said again and placed a hand on her arm softly. She didn't look at him, seeming to be in a trance kind of thing. He took the computer from her lap and closed it carefully.

"Hey, I need to work on that!" she said immediately.

"Not even a hello, good to see you?" he asked and chuckled at her confused expression. "Why are you here already?"

"I just missed you so much that I couldn't wait any longer," he said and kissed her softly.

"Are you going to tell me why you're working so much? You didn't even react to my touch?"

"I just need to get some things done…"

"And now the truth."

"That is the truth."

"I don't believe you."

"Why should I lie to you?"

"I don't know. Maybe you're trying to hide something?"

"Are you saying that you don't trust me?"

"No, all I'm saying is that I'm worried. There must be something that bothers you and I want to know what. That's what you do in a marriage. Look out for each other."

"But there is nothing to tell you Jack."

"I can see that there is something. You can't lie to me, you know that."

"Well, maybe I don't want to talk about it!"

Lisa felt sorry that she snapped at him but she wasn't ready to give her secret up. "Lisa," he said and placed a hand on her knee. She backed away and stood up.

"No, not Lisa. Why can't you just accept that I'm not ready to talk about it?!" she yelled and he sighed.

"Because I'm worried."

"Well you don't have to be… You know what? I need some space," she said and stormed out of the house, taking her keys with her.

Jack just hurried after her but only saw her car drive down the road. "Shit," he muttered and brushed his hands through his hair. He knew that he pushed her, something he normally never did. He felt sorry but he just wanted to make sure she was alright.

"It's nothing serious… That's all I can tell you," Lou, who overheard the conversation and felt sorry for her grandpa, said and Jack looked at her surprised.

"You know what's wrong?"

"Yes, but I think she should tell it yourself. She'll come back when she's ready… Just think about all the hormone changes. It's completely normal for her to react that way…"

"I hope you're right Lou," he said and looked at his granddaughter thankfully.


	16. Chapter 15

Lisa didn't know what made her react that way. Her hormones were driving her insane. The last few weeks were more than confusing for her. She snapped at people, even though they did nothing wrong and she fought more often with Jack.

The tears were streaming down her face and she was blaming herself for the mess she got herself into. She never intended to leave Jack alone like that. It just wasn't like her. The hormones got the better of her and so she wasn't sure what to do now.

She needed someone to talk to, but didn't know who would listen to her without telling everybody about the news. She stopped in the nearest parking spot, not wanting to cause an accident, and called her aunt. Even though her aunt hadn't been too keen about Jack at first, she got around.

"Hello? Lisa is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," she said and was barely able to hold back a sob.

"Is everything okay? You sound like you're crying? Did something happen to Jack?"

"No, he's alright…"

"Tell me what's bothering you. That's why you called, isn't it?" her aunt said in a soothing voice.

"I'm pregnant," Lisa said and started sobbing almost immediately afterwards.

"Congratulations! But that's something to celebrate! Why are you crying?"

"I don't feel ready for it… I mean I've never been pregnant before and I feel so terrible. Jack has great grandchildren already and now here I am, his pregnant wife!"

"Is that what's bothering you? That he has great grandchildren already? Do you think you're being a complication?" her aunt said and Lisa kept quiet for a while. She didn't want to admit it, but it was one of the reasons.

"I don't know. I mean it was at first, but I thought I was over it until… until I received these stupid news!" Lisa said and brushed her hand through her hair.

"What kind of news? Should I come and stay with you for a while? I mean, I'm in Spain at the moment, but I could be there the day after tomorrow."

"No, it's okay… I just…"

"You what?" her aunt knew she was holding back. She worried that it was something bad and so she was relieved to hear Lisa's trembling voice say, "I'm pregnant with triplets."

Lisa felt relieved to have finally said it. The secret was suffocating her and she didn't know how to handle the news.

"That's even better news! I'm so happy for you guys! Jack must be so happy about the three new family members!"

"He doesn't know…"

"He what? But Lisa… He has a right to know."

"Don't you think I know that? I just don't know how to tell him. I'm just so overwhelmed. I don't know how to feel about this."

"Jack will be over the moon happy about this, Lisa! Jack loves family more than anything in his life and he'd do everything for you. I was too blind to notice what a great guy he is at first. Don't make the mistake and shut him out. He'll be there with you every step of the way."

"But three babies… How are we going to handle this?"

"You have a wonderful family with many people who love you to death. I'm sure you'll never be alone and receive a lot of help from everybody around you!"

"But Amy… She had a baby recently. She has so much work already. I can't make her watch four babies, can I?"

"Lisa, you are trying to find reasons to make yourself feel bad. Pregnancy is a gift, I never received. And now it's too late and I regret it a lot. I know it's hard and I know it's scary, but if you tell Jack it'll be a lot easier, trust me. He'll take care of you and you will receive the help you need. He loves you and I'm sure he the mother of his children to be happy."

"I know… It's just so hard. I'm so scared…" she said and a new set of tears were streaming down her red cheeks.

"Will you promise me to tell Jack when you get back home?"

Lisa hesitated. She knew she had to tell him. She felt terrible about her actions and wanted to explain everything to him. But at the same time she didn't know how to tell him. She couldn't just burst out her news.

"Yes, I will," she said and decided her aunt was right. She had to tell him. Everything would work out and she and Jack would be happy about the arrival of the new family members. She felt thankful for her aunt's advice.

She opened her eyes and she felt a bit more at peace with her pregnancy. Of course, her doubts were still present, but they weren't as extreme as they had been before.

"Good. Look I need to get back to work. We'll talk soon and congratulations again," her aunt said and Lisa said her goodbyes before hanging up.

…

At the same moment, not far away, Katie discovered a weird looking picture in her great grandma's purse. The confused little girl didn't understand what the grey figures on the picture meant.

"Katie," Amy shouted from the barn and the young child ran towards where the call came from, picture still in hand. Once she arrived at the loft she placed the picture on the table in the living room and left it there to be discovered…


	17. Chapter 16

While Katie and Amy went back down into the barn to feed the horses after a while, Ty and Lyndy sat down on the couch. He looked at the coffee table in front of him and saw an ultrasound picture.

"Why is it there? Amy has a box of all these pictures," he said and took the picture into his hands, reminiscing about the time of Amy's pregnancy. He looked at the date of the picture before he looked at the picture and discovered that the picture was taken that day.

His eyes grew wide and he looked at the picture, without bothering to look at the mother's name at the top of the picture. He didn't even consider the possibility that this could be someone else's ultrasound picture.

He quickly scanned the picture and discovered not only one, but three babies. His heart stopped for more than a second and he stared at the picture in utter disbelief.

Lyndy suddenly slapped his face softly and Ty looked at the laughing baby instead of the picture. "I guess you're going to be a big sister soon!" he said and was still a bit unsure of what to do.

…

Lisa's car came to a halt in front of the house. Jack's truck was the only one there so she assumed everybody else was gone. She brushed her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. She felt a bunch of mixed emotions, but new that this talk would bring a relief she longed for.

She entered the house and slowly entered the living room. She saw Jack sitting on the couch, cup in his hands and lost in thoughts.

"Hey," she said softly and Jack looked at her, relieved.

"You're back," he said and pulled her tight. The embrace gave her the strength she needed. She felt so loved in that moment that she somehow knew things would turn out to be great. She didn't want him to let go of her, knowing what would follow.

He slowly released her from his tight hug and looked at her with tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I overreacted. The hormones just went insane."

"Don't worry. I'm just glad you're back and safe."

"Can we please talk?"

"Of course."

"I think we should better sit down," Lisa said and took Jack's hand to lead him to the couch. The two of them sat down, holding hands. Lisa turned towards Jack and sighed.

"You were right… There is something bothering me. But before you start to worry… I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with my health. In fact I have good news. I was just overwhelmed and didn't know what to do…"

"No matter what it is… I'll be there to support you."

"Then I guess me and you equals five from now on," she said with all the courage she could muster up. It was easier for her to say it that way.

Jack took a few seconds to realize what her words meant, but when he realized that there wasn't just one baby, he almost exploded from happiness.

He pulled Lisa into another tight hug and kissed the side of her head. "These are phenomenal news!"

"Three babies?" He asked, shocked but happy.

"Yes, we're having triplets," she said and a small tear rolled down her face. The pressure of the huge secret was suddenly gone and Jack's happiness reassured her that she would never be alone.

"That's great! Oh my god Lisa, we are having triplets!" Jack pulled her even closer. He didn't know what else to do. The woman of his dreams was giving him not only one child, but three. More than he would have ever imagined.

He pulled back just to cover Lisa's lips with his own. He wanted her to feel loved. Especially now she needed the extra love and affection. He couldn't even imagine how it felt to receive the shocking news. It was her body that needed to through the pregnancy, not his.

But deep inside, he knew that they'd work this out.

…

Dinner was awfully quiet that evening. Jack and Lisa smiled at each other most of the time, believing to be the only ones knowing why. Lou was smiling to herself due to the fact that Lisa and Jack had worked it out. Ty was smiling to himself, believing his wife was carrying three children.

Only one of them was right.

Lisa placed one hand on top of her belly once she finished and smiled at Jack, who took her hand into his. She didn't like to think about the problems ahead of them. The happiness and joy of the moment was the only thing that mattered.

Amy felt misplaced. Everybody seemed to know something she didn't and she wasn't going to let this go. "So could someone tell me why you're all smiling like crazy?"

"We're just happy," Jack said and Lou just chuckled, making Lisa suspicious.

"And I found something this afternoon that reminded me of your pregnancy with Lyndy," Ty said, hoping his wife would tell them her secret.

"What did you find then?" she asked and looked at him annoyed.

"An ultrasound picture," he said and Lisa felt slightly uncomfortable. She knew it was impossible that he meant hers. It was safely tucked away in her purse, wasn't it?

"So you went through my pregnancy box again?"

"No, this one if different," he said and Katie knew that what she had done was probably a bad idea. She felt the shift of atmosphere and excused herself quickly.

"And what kind of different?" Amy was curious now.

"Well let's say someone here has a secret," Ty said and thought his wife would finally tell them.

Lisa felt like somebody had slapped her. Ty had indeed found her ultrasound picture, she was sure about that. Jack sensed the worry of Lisa and hoped Ty would stop pushing. Lou was the only one who seemed to know what Ty was hinting on.

She hoped that Amy was in fact not pregnant and Ty was just a bit confused, because they didn't need another baby around.


	18. Chapter 17

"What are you trying to say? " Amy said and was disliking the fact her husband seemed so sure about that.

"I just think that there is someone who needs to tell us what's going on," Ty said and Jack prayed he'd stop. He knew what Lisa was thinking. He thought so too at first but the way he challenged Amy gave him away.

"Are you trying to say that I-" but Amy was cut off by Lisa, who couldn't stand this any longer.

"Triplets," the word slipped past her lips faster than her mind could stop her mouth.

"What?" Ty and Amy asked surprised.

"We're having triplets," Lisa said and put her napkin down. She had been clenching it in her fist until the soft material formed into a hard ball.

"You what?!" Georgie burst out. She stayed out of drama normally but this was too much. She had been okay with one baby, but three? Was this family trying to kill her?

"Manners," Lou reminded her oldest daughter. She sensed her anger and new that was the last thing Lisa and Jack needed right now.

"So the ultrasound picture was from you?" Ty asked utterly confused. He felt extremely embarrassed about his behavior. If he had known that this was Lisa's ultrasound picture he would have never pushed the topic like he did.

"You thought it was mine?" Amy asked, realizing why Ty acted that way.

"Well I found it on our coffee table. What did it look like?" Ty said and Lisa turned completely white. She realized that she spilled the secret unnecessarily. She could have kept her mouth shut and everything would be okay.

"Oh and instead of asking me privately you decided to just embarrass me in front of our family?" Amy said and Ty knew she was right and he was wrong.

"That wasn't the smartest thing to do… I know," he said and Lisa was still in a trance like state where she didn't want to accept that she could have ruined things with her actions. She looked at Georgie, who stared at the wall angrily, and found her deepest fears come true.

She never wanted Jack's family to be angry or disappointed about the pregnancy and now one of them was…

"Everything okay?" Jack asked her quietly and she just nodded, even though nothing felt okay. "She'll come around," he said as soon as he saw what Lisa looked at. Her facial expression had gone blank and he knew why. She was thinking about the whole situation, doubting herself.

Ty and Amy were still in a heated argument but Jack didn't care. He wanted Lisa to feel better. He knew that he couldn't let her go down that road again.

He took her chin between his fingers and turned her beautiful face towards his own. Her blue eyes met his and he had her attention. He whispered into her ear, "Who cares what they think? After all they are not part of this. The babies are a product of love. Our love. Not theirs. Just because they are being childish, selfish and many other things doesn't mean they have to ruin our joy and happiness."

He kissed her cheek softly and heard her laugh quietly. He was glad that she was able to let it go. She didn't need to upset herself even more. He knew to what her thoughts would lead and he didn't want to go there.

"What do you think about getting rid of these crazy people and spending the rest of the evening alone? A bubble bath, candles and just the two of us. How does that sound?" he whispered again and she just nodded, smirking at him.

"Dinner is over. You two can continue fighting in your loft and the rest of you… just leave the house and don't come back before ten!" He said and everybody looked at him confused.

He took his plate and brought it into the kitchen where it found its resting place in the dishwasher. The rest of the family didn't bother to argue with him so they followed his lead and soon after everything was clean.

…

Jack and Lisa were seated in a bathtub filled with bubbles and surrounded by candles. Her back was pressed against his chest and his hands rested on her belly.

"You know that we should do that way more often," Lisa said and looked back up at him.

"You don't need to tell me twice. I'm all in when it comes to spending some time with my lovely wife."

Lisa's bun was tickling Jack's cheek and he tried to get it out of the way a few times but it would end up bothering him again so he took the pin out of her hair and it immediately fell down onto her shoulders.

"Hey!"

"What? Your hair is tickling me," he said and kissed her wet shoulder softly.

"I wanted to keep it dry," she complained and tried to save what was left.

"Well you can forget about that now," he said and took a handful of water and poured it over her head.

She gasped as the water ran down her face. "Jack! What was that for?" she said and turned around.

"Maybe I wanted to annoy you, maybe I wanted to get revenge for last week. You'll never know."

"Hey, I accidentally dropped a glass of water and it splashed over you. How is that my fault?"

He just laughed at her and she threw a handful of bubbles into his face, making him look like Santa Clause.

"Hey! What was that for?" he said and she just laughed.

He tickled the sides of her body and she began to wiggle out of his embrace what proved to be quite the challenge inside of a bathtub.

"Stop" Lisa said, laughing. Her hair was completely wet now and she was sure that she'd got a few bruises due to her banging her legs and arms against the tub.

He kissed her lips softly and said, "I love you."

…

 **So how am I doing with updates? I hope not too bad. I never thought this story would be this welcomed. I never even planed on writing this many chapters! This was supposed to be like 10-15 chapters but now I think I'll want to write much more! Do you have any ideas that could be included in the story then let me know!**


	19. Chapter 18

Later that evening the two of them sat on their bed and looked at the ultrasound picture that Ty had placed on their kitchen table. Lisa looked at Jack lovingly and suddenly asked, "Did you think you'd become a dad again?"

"Honestly no. I didn't even think one kid is possible, but three? Wow. But that's good. I mean I love you and I love these babies. They'll make our family complete."

"Aw, you're so sweet!"

He kissed her lips softly. "You're amazing!"

"Really? What have I done to deserve being called amazing?"

"You're carrying three babies. That is amazing but you're such a good human being. You care for others more than anything else. You love your family to death and you'd do everything for them."

"Stop it, you're making me emotional," she said and a small tear made its way down her cheek.

"I will never stop calling you perfect," he said and kissed her soft lips.

She had never imagined to be where she was. Family, husband and children just never appealed to her that much but Jack changed that, changed her. He didn't care about her faults, he only saw her good sides.

"What have I done to deserve you?" Lisa asked lovingly. She truly didn't know.

…

A week had passed and Lisa just entered her eleventeenth week of pregnancy. Her belly had started growing and now she was forced to wear bigger clothes already. Her belly at eleven weeks was the size of Amy's at six months. On one hand she thought of it as cute to be showing but on the other hand she knew that her belly wouldn't stop there.

She had been quite content with the way things turned out but she was still worried about Georgie. The teen refused to talk to her, being angry about the pregnancy.

She was watching Lyndy when Val entered the house. The past few weeks had been heaven on earth for Lisa due to Val being on vacation. Val had been spending quite some time around here and Lisa didn't want her to.

Val was one of many neighbors that didn't know about the pregnancy. They decided to wait until they passed the three months mark and so she damned Val for just showing up like that.

She stood up, Lyndy on hip and walked into the kitchen where she met Val.

"Hello Lisa," Val said and mustered her rival closely.

"Val," Lisa said and felt Val's eyes burning on her skin.

"You look- Have you gained some weight?" Val said and Lisa felt offended.

She didn't want to show weakness so she just said, "No gained weight on my parts. But you look like you could lose some pounds. Enjoyed the French food a bit too much?" Lisa was lucky that Val only saw her from the front in a flowy summer dress so she didn't see the very present belly.

"Hm… Looks like it. Being a housewife must have made you comfortable… a bit comfortable," Val said and Lisa knew that it wasn't a smart move, but she had to do it.

"No, but being a housewife has made me pregnant," she said and saw Val's face fall.

She turned to her side and pulled the dress around her belly tighter to reveal the hiding bump. Val was completely speechless. "Well, congratulations then," she said and Lisa saw the sad look in her eyes.

"How far along are you? Looks like a lot to me," Val said and Lisa didn't want to hurt her more than she already did so she decided to keep the triplet story to herself for now. "Eleven weeks," Lisa said and smiled from ear to ear.

"Just? And your belly is that big? That will be a heavy baby."

…

Lisa didn't feel proud of the way she had treated Val. Even though she disliked the woman, she knew that Val had a crush on Jack for years. She could have been a bit nicer.

Jack came back to his wife in the kitchen and hugged her from behind. He placed his hands on her growing belly and kissed her neck softly.

"How was your day?" he asked and didn't let go of her.

She leaned into his embrace and closed her eyes. "I faced the devil herself, watched Lyndy and survived another day with this belly, so all in all pretty good I guess!"

Jack laughed softly at the mention of Val. She had showed up short after her brief visit at Heartland and Jack knew that Lisa had said something that threw Val off guard.

"Will you tell me what you did to make Val that speechless?"

"I told her I'm pregnant after she tried to insult me. Jokes on her I guess," she said and Jack chuckled. His wife had always been good with words but when it came to Val she showed new sides.

"Well must have worked like a charm. She didn't even flirt with me," he said and kissed the side of her head.

"She better not. You're my husband and I am not sharing you with her," Lisa said and turned around to press a tender kiss on Jack's lips.

"So how did watching Lyndy go?"

"She was being a bit difficult today. She didn't want Amy to leave and fussed about it for quite a while."

"I suppose Amy should spend less time out and about and more time with her daughter."

"Jack that's not true and you know it. Amy is a great mother."

"You're right… I just don't think that leaving your daughter as much as she does is good for the child."

"Well at least she leaves Lyndy with family and not a nanny."

"She better not do that. That's what family's for. Helping each other out," he said and tried to snack on lunch but Lisa slapped his hand away.

"You can wait until lunch like everybody else does!" Lisa said and laughed at Jack's childish expression.


	20. Chapter 19

The pregnancy had made Lisa change her daily routine. Nothing was like it used to be. Even Jack stayed at home to support his wife. She knew that sooner or later she'd be on bed rest so she tried to enjoy the freedom of being able to move around the house feely.

She had never been the person to stay in bed all day so even the thought of staying in bed for months made her feel sick. Jack supported his wife as best as he possibly could. He hired a helping hand so that he didn't have to worry about the work around the ranch.

Lisa had been taking a bath so Jack had time to prepare lunch for everybody. He loved spending more time with Lisa. The work had driven them apart for quite a while now. They had always been close but the work made their time spent together something rare and therefore special.

Lisa came out of the shower, wearing sweatpants and a bra. He looked at his wife and adored her baby bump. It was clearly showing now, that she had entered her third month of pregnancy. Lisa barely left the house so the news didn't spread around as fast as he expected.

She was putting her still wet hair up into a bun when she caught him staring at her. "See anything you like?" she asked and smirked at him. "Just admiring your bump. It seems like it's growing so fast," he answered and she wished for the back ache to just go away.

"Yeah, my back is killing me. The extra weight is too much for it to handle," she whined and he felt sorry for her. He only experienced the positive sides about this pregnancy and she was the one, experiencing the negatives sides.

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" he suddenly asked, not noticing it up to that point.

"It's so hot and I'm so sweaty. I just want to stay clean for an hour so I decided to just not wear a shirt. Do you mind?" she said, smirking at him again. He returned the smirk and said, "Nothing I haven't seen."

She pecked his lips before she moved onto the food on the table behind him. "I'm so hungry!" she said and he handed her the pieces of pure bread she was allowed to eat.

"But I don't want plain bread. It gets boring after a while. I want to eat ham and salad and everything you guys eat," she complained and Jack pulled her in for a hug.

"But you know that this will make your morning sickness even worse and you don't want that, do you?"

"No, of course not! How many months are there left before I can eat normal again?"

"Six."

"Six! How on earth am I supposed to survive this hell?"

"Hey, you have me. I am here to support you. I could join your bland diet," he said, feeling the need to support his wife in this situation as well.

"You would do that?" She asked, surprised.

"Of course! We are in this together!"

"But are you willing to give up meat for me?" she asked, knowing how much he loved a good steak.

"Well technically I wouldn't be giving up all kinds if meat," he said and she hit his chest playfully.

"Jack, stop," she said, laughing. "Since when did you become so naughty?"

"I've always been, you just haven't noticed yet."

"I don't believe you," she said and kissed his lips before disappearing into the direction of the bathroom again.

…

Georgie came home sooner than usual. She had been avoiding the family home since she had found out about the triplets. She didn't want to be the one babysitting all the time. Even now, she already had to baby sit Katie from time to time and she hated it!

She tried to go up to her room without being noticed but Lisa had already seen her. "Georgie, you're home early," Lisa's voice came from the kitchen and Georgie sighed, turning around.

"Yeah, I need to do some stuff for school… So I would like to go to my room now," she said and stood in the kitchen awkwardly. The relationship between Lisa and Georgie had changed since their announcement. Georgie no longer felt comfortable around her and often felt angry about the new babies.

"Georgie," Lisa said after the teen had already left the kitchen.

"Yeah," emerged from the living room.

"I'd like to talk to you for a second," Lisa said, wanting to get rid of the weirdness in their relationship.

The two of them sat around the kitchen table, neither of them said anything. "So… I have noticed that you have been avoiding me for quite some time now. Is there a reason for that?"

Lisa knew the reason. She wanted to hear it from Georgie. She wanted her to say it.

"Avoiding you? I don't know what you're talking about," Georgie lied. She didn't want to be confronted with her behavior and didn't want Lisa to know her reasons to avoid her.

"Cut the crap Georgie. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Why have you been avoiding me?" Lisa said, a bit sterner than before. Her back hurt, she felt nauseous and she didn't have the nerves to go through this right now.

"I don't want to talk to you," Georgie said, tears on welling up in her eyes.

"But I want you to talk to me Georgie. You can trust me. I won't be angry at you. I'm not a monster. Just a person like you," Lisa said, her voice softening.

"No."

"Georgie please… We've been so close the past few months and I… I am confused and sad that you're avoiding me at all cost," Lisa said and she felt tears welling up, trying to force herself not to cry.

She saw the anger boiling inside of Georgie and she felt so hated in that moment.

"I hate you."


	21. Chapter 20

The words hit Lisa like a fist. She had never imagined Georgie to say those words. She just stared at the teen in front of her, not believing the words that had left her mouth.

"God can't you say something?!" Georgie said, the anger almost making her burst.

"Why?" Lisa said, calm and collected.

"Why?! Isn't that a bit obvious. Since you moved in with us everything has been getting worse for me! At first Lou wanted to take me to New York with her because of you and well, Jack talked her out of it but now that there will be triplets, I'll be dragged to another country and even if not, I'll be the baby sitter for the rest of my life!" Georgie screamed.

Lisa felt somehow glad that Georgie showed the emotion she kept inside for what must have been quite a while. The tears were streaming down Georgie's face freely by then.

"So you're afraid of your uncertain future," Lisa said and felt sorry for the girl in front of her.

"No… yes… I don't know. But why couldn't you just not get pregnant? Nothing would have changed and I'd still have my old life! Even Lou is interested in the babies!" She screamed and it was hard for Lisa to stay calm.

"Look Georgie, I didn't plan to get pregnant. It just happened. I wasn't happy about it either. Do I look like I'm happy? Look at me! I'm three times as big as I used to be and I feel awful all the time! Do you think I like this?"

"You could have thought about this before you spread your legs," Georgie said and Lisa's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe her ears. She didn't want to believe her ears.

"What did you just say?" She said, shocked and hurt.

"You heard me just fine. I won't repeat myself," she said and a wave of anxiety shot through her at the thought of Lisa's possible reaction.

Lisa didn't know what to say. She just stared at the girl in front of her and felt disappointed in the person she thought she knew.

"I know it hasn't always been easy between us but I have never been this disappointed in you," she said, stood up and left Georgie alone.

She exited the house and went into the stables. She had always loved it there. She hadn't spent much time around horses lately. She missed it.

She went into an empty stall and sat down on the ground. You would have never guessed she was in there. She just sat there and thought about the past couple months and how everything seemed to be going wrong. And only then, she allowed her tears to flow.

…

Jack came back from town to find an empty house. Well, at least he thought it was empty. He searched everywhere for Lisa but didn't find her anywhere. He saw Georgie's boots and knew she was in her room.

"Knock knock," he said and opened the door slowly.

"Do you know where Lisa is?" he asked and Georgie just shook her head. "She left an hour ago. Don't know where she went," she said and directed her attention back to her school work.

Jack sighed, wishing Georgie would end the war between her and Lisa and be a bit nicer to his wife. He went downstairs and decided to call Lisa.

He dialed her number and heard her phone ring in the living rooms short after. That's when he began to worry. She'd never leave without her phone.

He ran out and into the barn, hoping to find her or Amy there. He was met by emptiness that left him even more worried. "Where could she be?" he asked, tears threatening to come out.

He heard a quiet "I'm here." He ran towards the empty stall, the words came from and looked down to find his wife sitting on the ground. He opened the stall and sat down next to her, pulling her as close as possible.

"I thought something happened to you," he said and she felt immediately sorry for not letting him know where she went.

"I'm sorry. I just needed some air," she said and a tear rolled down her face.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked worriedly and wiped it away with his thumb.

"I don't want you to get mad," she sad and he noticed the puffy, red eyes and knew she had cried for a while.

"You can tell me anything and I promise I won't get mad," he said and looked her deep into the eyes. She avoided his eyes and looked at the ground instead.

"It's Georgie. She came home and I wanted to talk to her, to finally solve the problem but she said some pretty mean things," she said and felt sorry for betraying Georgie like that.

"She what? What did she say?" Jack asked, not believing the behavior of his great grandchild.

"I feel like I'm betraying her if I tell you what she said," Lisa said and Jack sighed. "Lisa… I won't tell anybody that you told me," he said and she nodded.

"She told me that she hated me and how things have been going worse for her since I moved in and…" she began but refused to continue. She didn't want to get Georgie into any trouble.

"And…?" Jack was boiling inside but he knew that Lisa held something back.

"And that I might have should thought about it before I spread my legs," Lisa burst out.

"She what?!" Jack didn't believe his ears. This was nothing like her but he saw how she treated Lisa the past two weeks so it was not that big of a surprise.

"You don't have to yell at her, I'm not mad at her, it's just… she's right," she said, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence.

Jack was furious. Not so much about the words his great grandchild chose to use but that she destroyed Lisa's confidence, he worked so hard on. He didn't believe that she had carelessly thrown around words and hurt more than just one person. He wanted to lecture her but Lisa needed him now.


	22. Chapter 21

Jack looked at his wife and knew that she had doubts about herself. "No she's not right. Georgie is a teenager. She thinks everything is unfair. There might have been a few changes since you moved in but it's nothing serious. You are a part of this family."

"But just look think about Lou. She wanted to take her to New York. She'll do it now that we are having triplets. These babies, even though they are not born, receive more attention from her than her own child. She is so right in so many points."

"Lisa, listen. Whatever Lou decides to do, it's not your fault. Lou is her mother and if she wants her child to live with her, it's her decision. If Lou gives these babies more attention than Georgie, they'll have to work this out. She has no reason and right to blame you for what's going wrong in her life."

"But-"she tried but he pulled her into a tight hug and said, "No buts. Just trust me… You'll always have me on your side."

She just snuggled up to him and dried her tear stained cheeks. She felt comfortable in his embrace and wanted everything to just freeze. She had been stressing herself way too much lately and she wanted her mind to just shut off for a while.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Jack asked and Lisa just shook her head no. "I don't want to make things worse than they already are," she said and he nodded, understanding her but also feeling the need to voice his opinion.

The two of them sat like that for a while until they decided to make some dinner. Jack prepared the dinner for the rest of the family and Lisa for herself. She felt exhausted after what seemed like hours of work but were only a few minutes.

She sat down on the couch and put up her feet, sighing. She fell asleep short afterwards. Jack admired the beauty of his sleeping wife and wanted to help her but he knew that she had to go through the pain alone.

He heard footsteps come down the stairs and Georgie entered the kitchen. He didn't look at her, knowing he'd say something he'd regret.

"Where is everybody else?" She asked and he shushed her, still avoiding to look at her.

"Lisa is sleeping and Amy, Ty and Lyndy won't be back until tomorrow. Lou and Peter are on a date and Katie sleeps at Vanessa's so we're alone," he said and heard her sigh. The tension in the room was visible.

"Would you mind if I eat in my room?"

"Yes. I want you to eat with Lisa and I. It won't kill you, will it?" he said and felt even more disappointed. They didn't raise her to behave this way.

"I just need to finish-"

"You can finish whatever you have to do after dinner."

"Never mind. I'm not hungry," she said and that's when Jack turned around.

"You'll eat with us and if you're not hungry, you'll sit at the table and wait until we've finished."

"Uhh, I'm sorry," she said and wanted to walk away.

"No, you stay here. What has been going on with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Georgie said and she knew exactly where this talk would lead to. She regretted saying those things to Lisa. She felt horrible about the way she had treated her.

"You know damn well-" but Jack was interrupted by Lisa, who entered the kitchen. She didn't even look at Georgie and went straight to the stove.

"Is dinner ready? I am kind of hungry right now," she said and looked into the pots. She would have rather eaten the meal for Jack and Georgie than her bland, boring and tasteless meal.

"Yes, Georgie just wanted to get the table set," Jack said and shot Georgie a warning look.

He didn't want any more fight than there already was.

…

Everybody ate their dinner in silence. Georgie didn't dare to say anything and Lisa was too tired to say anything. Jack didn't want to cause any trouble by trying to force them to talk to each other so he left them alone.

"You have your next appointment tomorrow, right?" Jack asked Lisa and she just nodded. "I hope the bed rest can be avoided for a bit longer than he thinks," she said, wishing for her to never be in need for bed rest.

"Maybe you're lucky and your wish comes true," he said and smiled at his wife, even though she didn't even look at him.

"Maybe. But I haven't been lucky for the past few months so why should it start now?" she asked, feeling a bit scared about the whole bed rest thing. She didn't like to be confronted by things she didn't like so she felt overwhelmed at that moment.

"Don't say that. You have been lucky!" he said and hoped to get a smile out of his wife but she didn't even look up. She just kept staring at her empty plate.

"Okay, so tell me what's wrong," he said and she raised her head to look at him. "What should be wrong? I mean, I'm lucky. Loving family, best health and lifestyle," she said sarcastically.

"Lisa stop. You know that what you're thinking isn't true," he said and he knew that this was an emotional time for Lisa but he was tired from the hard day and just wanted his family to be happy.

"Well if you know what I'm thinking and also know what's best for me, why don't you start living my life?" She said, stood up and walked away.

Jack places his fork next to his plate and buried his face in his hands. He let out a loud sigh and felt like crying. He didn't know how much he could take. "I'm sorry," Georgie said and Jack looked at her, surprised.

"You don't need to be sorry," he said and for the first time decided to let Lisa just be.

 **So what do you guys think so far? Should I speed up the pregnancy or I should I keep going at that pace? Idk because I feel like this pregnancy will take ages to be over and I do want to write about the life after pregnancy but Idk if this story will be a 100 chapters story soooo...**


	23. Chapter 22

Lisa just wanted to be alone. She was still hurt and the conversation between her and Georgie left her in an angry state of mind. She didn't want to fight with her all the time but she didn't want to take the mean comments from her either.

She just wanted to live a happy life where the entire family is living together peacefully. She knew this would never be the case. Something had to be bothering someone. She found herself in her car. The only place where she was truly alone. She didn't even want to drive away.

She just needed some quiet moments before she faced her insane family again. Brushing her hands through her hair, she felt something weird going on inside of her belly. The fear of something being wrong was replaced by happiness and a huge smile.

It almost felt like small bubbles or popcorn popping inside of her stomach and Lisa placed her hands on top of it. "Hey you," she said to her belly and knew that this weird sensation was the first kick of her babies. They were moving for the first time.

She felt overwhelmed by the feeling of pride, anticipation and state of euphoria.

It wasn't a lot of movement and she didn't feel anything on the outside of her stomach but it was strong enough for her to feel it. Many different emotions were shooting through her at that exact moment. So many doubts she had for the past weeks were just blown away by such a simple thing.

She felt tears well up and this time they were because of happiness. She brushed her hair behind her ears and was thankful for the privacy of her car. The experience washed away the thought about all the negativity of the past days and Lisa felt truly content about the arrival of her first children.

Everything was forgotten and the time froze for a while.

…

Jack was taking care of the dishes when he heard the door open. He didn't expect Lisa to come back so soon. He knew she had needed some time to cool off after the disastrous dinner.

"Hey," she said and he turned around to look at her. He saw the tear stains on her cheeks and didn't even want to know what made her cry. He already knew it…

"I'm sorry for earlier…" She said and he dried his hands before he gave her a quick kiss.

"No need to apologize. I know that you're going through a lot right now and it's a normal reaction as far as hormonal changes are involved."

"No, I really overreacted. You've been doing so much for me and I don't appreciate it as much as I should! I wouldn't be able to do it without you by my side."

He pulled her close and she buried her face in his strong chest. "You know… I felt them move for the first time," Lisa said and he felt her smile into him.

"Really?"

"Yes, I did. At first I thought about everything that could have gone wrong but then I realized that it was a movement. At first it felt like bubbles or popcorn popping but I know it will be getting stronger with every passing week."

"That's amazing Lis!" He kissed the top of her head and he could forget all the trouble they went through for a moment.

It was just them, the babies and their strong bond in the kitchen of the cozy family home. He never imagine it to be like this but he wouldn't want to trade it for anything.

…

Later that evening Lisa and Jack were sitting on their bed and reading a book. Lisa couldn't concentrate on what she was reading. She needed a break. From this constant fighting, from the stress this whole situation caused and most importantly from this family.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we leave for a week? You know, get some rest and relax on a beach where it's only us."

"Lis, you know I don't like to fly…"

"We don't have to. We can make a road trip to somewhere close to here. Book a nice hotel room or small apartment where we can be alone for a while."

"It sounds good but you know that it won't be possible."

"Why? Your family can take care of themselves for a while, can't they?"

"But what about the work?"

"You have hired a stable hand to do that for you. I don't see the problem."

"But someone needs to organize everything. Make sure this works."

"Jack…"

"Yeah."

"I think you're trying to find reasons to not go, even though you know there aren't any good ones," Lisa said, laughing.

"I'm just worrying that we'll come back to world war three."

Lisa laughed harder at Jack's honest comment. "Even if the rest of this family starts fighting, they'll need to be able to handle that, don't they? We won't be always here…"

"You're right… Let's book something first thing tomorrow morning. We deserve some time out."

"That's what I mean! Some rest will only be good for us. We'll have many sleepless nights ahead of us!"

"Don't remind me of that!"

"Well, you gotta be prepared for your future!"

"But let me keep dreaming for a while…" he said and she kissed him softly.

The short vacation would do both of them a favor. She longed to spend some time alone with him. She just wanted to enjoy the company of her husband without having their crazy family around.

He wasn't too keen at first but the thought of spending some lovely days away from here with Lisa made him happy. He knew that the two of them needed a break. Maybe the week or more would make things less tense at home.

He hoped that this short vacation would give Georgie the chance to cool off and behave differently. She hoped that as well. Neither of them knew that this idea would be even more complicated than originally thought…


	24. Chapter 23

Jack was tired of fighting all the time. He had booked an apartment in Arizona for the next morning and wanted to inform his grandchildren about the two weeks long vacation. But instead of being happy for the two of them, they were angry.

Jack couldn't believe it… How could they be angry at him for booking a vacation for his wife and him?

"Are you three serious?"

"How could you not tell us about this sooner? How are we supposed to go on without you guys here to take care of everything?" Lou said and Jack felt like he was dealing with a bunch of five year olds.

"You are old enough to take care of yourselves. You have children for god's sake! It's not like you depend on us… You have been getting too used to the help you've received since Lisa moved in and now you need to grow up and handle it like adults," Jack said, feeling exhausted and ready for the vacation.

"But-"Amy tried but Jack didn't want to argue any more. He just lifted his hand as a sign for Amy to stop and left the room, not wanting to be in the company of his family. He went in search for Lisa and found her in the garden, taking care of the flowers.

"Hey, honey," she said, feeling a warm hand on her shoulder. She kneeled in front of her roses, hands dirty and sweat dripping from her forehead. She got up slowly, feeling slightly dizzy. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I guess I've been in the sun for too long. Nothing serious," she said and pressed a soft kiss onto her husband's lips.

"How did they take the news?" She asked and Jack considered lying to her for the sake of her health but he decided against it.

"Like a bunch of five year olds… But we're going anyway. We have earned this vacation and with the babies we won't have the time to do this after they're born," he said and she pulled him in for a hug.

"I love you…" she said and he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too," he said and felt truly exhausted for the first time in months.

…

The two of them were on their way towards Arizona. The flight had gone smooth and Lisa had slept through most of it. They were driving from the airport towards their home for the next two weeks and Jack felt content.

The peacefully silence was soothing and the company of his wife made him feel loved and at home. "How are you feeling?" he asked and placed a hand on her growing belly.

"We're feeling pretty good so far. A bit tired and exhausted but good."

"Tired? You have slept the entire flight…" he said and laughed softly.

"Hey carrying three babies around is exhausting. I need my beauty sleep," she said and smirked at him.

They were halfway there when the first lightning struck nearby, followed by a loud bang. "Do you think we'll get there before this storm gets really started?"

"I hope so… I don't want to be driving through a storm."

The rain hadn't started yet and so Jack's hopes were high. He hated driving during a storm since the day his daughter died under the same circumstances. He despised it.

He sped up a bit and Lisa shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I need to pee," she said and Jack shook his head.

"We just stopped an hour ago," he said and she hit his chest. "I'm not joking… I need to pee."

He pulled into the nearest gas station and used the chance to fill up the tank while Lisa used the bathroom. He paid and waited for her to come back. He leaned against the truck and shook his head at somebody speeding down the road as if it was a race.

He felt uneasy but brushed it off. They just had to get off the road before the storm began and everything would go back to normal. "Good to go," Lisa said and managed to get into the passenger seat without too much trouble.

Jack smiled and got back inside as well. He knew that they had quite a bit of drive left so he pulled out of the gas station a bit too fast.

It was too fast for him to even realize what was happening. Before he could do anything to change the direction of the car, he saw bright lights rushing towards them. He felt a sharp impact and his vision blurred as the truck crushed right into the passenger side. The truck wasn't going fast but fast enough to knock Lisa unconscious.

Jack hit his head on the window next to him and as he felt the blood drip down his forehead, he lost consciousness as well with one thing in mind…. Lisa.

…

Lou had stayed at home to watch the children. Still upset about how things went, she almost didn't answer the phone when she saw the American number. But the unsettling feeling in her gut convinced her to do otherwise.

"Heartland ranch, hello?" she said as politely as possible in case it was somebody else.

"Dignity Health Arizona General Hospital, am I speaking to Lou Flemming?" the woman on the other side said and Lou's heart dropped at the mentioning of a hospital.

"Yes, what happened?" she asked, fearing the worst.

"You're grandpa and his pregnant wife arrived here an hour ago…."

…

After the upsetting phone call Lou ran towards the loft, where she knew she'd find Amy. She burst through the doors and whispered with tears streaming down her face. "It's grandpa and Lisa…"

Soooo sorry for the long wait! I just had a baby that was born a month too early and I guess it's understandable that my baby was my number one priority! Hope to get back to my somewhat regular schedule.


	25. Chapter 24

Lou and Amy had been on their way to the hospital before they even thought about checking in. Peter and Ty stayed behind to keep the ranch tidy and watch the children. After the phone call from the hospital everything went quite fast.

The flights were booked within an hour and the hotel within the following thirty minutes. The two sisters were not themselves. Neither could believe what happened. The hospital didn't want to give more information than necessary over the phone so both of them knew close to nothing.

"I just hope they are alright…" Lou said, tears threatening to come out.

"I do, too. And the babies! I hope that the accident… you know," Amy didn't even dare to voice her thoughts, too afraid they might become reality once she said them out loud.

"Lisa and grandpa are strong. They'll get through this. Healthy and as soon to be parents," Lou said, trying to convince herself rather than her sister.

The car stopped in front of the hospital and the women rushed inside, stopping at the counter in the entrance hall.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" the nice man behind the desk asked.

"We're here to see Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett. They've arrived yesterday," Lou managed to get out, after sensing the lack of strength on Amy's behalf.

"Yes, second floor, room twenty-three. That's for Mr. Bartlett. His wife is still in a coma and can't be visited for the time being," he said and Amy's heart sunk a bit. Coma? That means nothing good, does it?

"Thank you," Lou said and the two women made their way upstairs. The silence during the elevator ride up was almost unbearable and so Amy said, "You don't think Lisa has… you know lost the babies?"

"I don't know what to think, Amy. All I know is that she is in a coma and that means she's not dead. That's at least something," Lou said, hoping for the best outcome of this miserable situation. She knew that her younger sibling was in need of comforting but she needed to figure everything out for herself before she could help Amy get through it.

They knocked on the door of the hospital room and entered after they heard an all too familiar voice answer. The two of them stormed into the room, not caring about a single thing. Both of them were just too happy to see their grandpa alive and well.

Tears streamed down both of their faces as they hugged him close.

"You're here," Jack breathed out in relief.

"Why wouldn't we? We booked the flights as soon as the hospital called. We thought we had lost you…" Lou said and sobbed into the shoulder of her grandpa.

He just held them close, not knowing what to feel. He woke up before they arrived in the hospital. The people in the ambulance didn't want to or just simply couldn't tell him what happened to Lisa. He still didn't know because after a few tests he was too tired to stay awake to ask after his wife thanks to the sedative he received.

"What happened?" Amy asked as soon as the crying had stopped and the girls sat down next to the bed.

Jack began to tell the story of the accident and had a hard time keeping the tears at bay. "And I don't know what happened after that… what happened to Lisa. God, what if she didn't make it," he said and the tears made their way down his stubbly cheeks.

"She made it… When we asked for the two of you they told us that Lisa is in a coma but alive. And that is all that matters isn't it? She's okay and the babies will be as well!" Lou said and tears of happiness made their appearance.

She was happy that they were alive and somewhere close to well. The door opened and a doctor entered the room.

"Hello Mr. Bartlett. My name is Doctor Smith and I'm here to talk about your condition and the one of your wife," he said and shook all of their hands.

"You were lucky. You really were. You have a concussion and a bruised chest from the impact but other than that, you're completely fine," he said and Jack couldn't feel happy. He just wanted to know what was going on with his Lis.

"What about my wife?"

"She didn't have as much luck as you did. The impact hit her pretty hard and to make sure that everything is alright with her and the babies we put her in a coma. Just to make sure. She has a bad concussion and her left wrist is broken. Nothing too serious. She'll be as good as new once she gets back out of the coma. The babies seem to be healthy but we'll keep her here for safety reasons. I'm not going to lie… It doesn't look too good for the long run. The pregnancy has been a risky one from the start and now the accident. It is possible that one baby could be lost within the next few weeks. It doesn't have to happen but there is a high possibility it will. I just thought giving you the opportunity to prepare mentally would maybe make it a bit easier," he said and Jack was a first relieved.

Lisa was well but the chance of losing one baby he grew to love so much made him hate himself for not being more careful. He could have prevented the accident and maybe then everything would have been good.

Maybe the babies would be born with all siblings alive and not one dead. He blamed himself for the death of his child before it even died. After he finished blaming himself, he clung to the little bit of hope that the baby might be able to live even though the chances were pretty low.

Hope was everything he had…

Two chapters in two days? Man, I'm really going crazy. Well let's see where this goes! Tell me what you think will happen with the babies? Will they all make it or will Lisa lose one?


	26. Chapter 25

Jack recovered fast and was allowed to go home only two days later. The only problem was that there was no place to go home to in Arizona. He didn't have the heart to leave Lisa and if Lou and Amy hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have wasted a second thinking about it.

He understood that Lou and Amy weren't able to stay with him for too long. They had family and responsibilities themselves- He canceled the house he had rented and moved into a cheap motel near the hospital.

At first he wasn't allowed to visit her but after a week of staring through a small glass window, the nurses and doctors felt sorry for him and allowed him to visit her a couple of hours a day. With Lisa in a coma and Jack by her side, the world seemed to stop.

Jack longed for his wife to just wake up and even though he knew that she couldn't do it on her own, his mind played tricks on him more than just once. He often imagined her opening her eyes or squeezing his hand back but she never did. Another week went by and Lisa had entered her fourth month of pregnancy.

Jack never left her side and the hospital staff grew to know and love the old, grumpy but overall lovely man. Despite the high risk of losing a triplet, all of them kept growing healthily and steadily. Lisa has been in a coma for two and a half weeks, even though it seemed like an eternity for Jack, when the doctors decided to wake her up.

"She has recovered quite well. Despite her broken wrist and bruised body, there is nothing else wrong. No brain damage and no harm to the babies. All four of them will be healthy. I think we're able to bring her back to you today. We have started to process already and now all we can do is wait. She'll be exhausted once she wakes up and her memory could be damaged so don't worry if she doesn't recognize you at first. The nurses will take care of everything as soon as the medicine kicks in and she starts breathing on her own," the doctor said to Jack who had just arrived at the hospital.

"So everything will be okay?" Jack asked, relieved and happy about the turn of events.

"Yes, everything will be just fine. Your wife will have to follow strict rules from now on. This is considered a high risk pregnancy now. She needs to stay in Arizona. No flying and not a lot of driving. Actually not a lot of activity at all. She's on bed rest now. For the next four to six week walking 15 minutes a day is allowed but after that only walks to the toilet and back to bed. A C-section will be required. A natural birth could put her life at risk. She'll have to come back every three to four weeks for a check up to see if everything is okay. That's a lot to take in right now. I'll come back to check in on her from time to time."

With that the doctor disappeared and Jack didn't mind the strict rules as long as Lisa came back to him and the babies were healthy. He entered her room and sat down next to her, taking her hand in his. "Hello Lis, how are you today?" he asked and kissed her hand carefully.

He hated the sight in front of him. His beloved wife hooked up to several tubes and the beeping noises surrounding them made him want to cry. "You'll wake up soon. Then I can finally tell you how grateful I am to have you with me. You need to stay in the hospital for a little while but then we can move into a nice rental house until we're blessed with our three beautiful angels. You heard right… All of them will be fine. Everything is going to go back to normal. You'll be in my arms, where you belong. We'll watch our kids grow up and eventually move out and leave the ranch to them but we'll see. Maybe they're not even into horses. I just need you here with me," he said and the tears broke loose.

He couldn't contain his sorry and relief any longer. The past few years he had spent with Lisa changed him. He grew so accustomed to her company that he missed her so terribly. To see her this down reminded him of their fight in the middle of nowhere.

Back then he told her about his fear of her needing to take care of him. He chuckled at the irony of the situation. No he was the one needing to take care of her. He stays silent for a while, stroking her hand with his thumb.

He wanted her to just wake up and tell him how dumb he was for thinking that. That's what she had always done. His thoughts were interrupted by loud and fast beeping noises and people rushed into the room. He gripped her hand harder and feared the worst.

He was ushered out of the room and all he could do was wait. Wait for somebody to tell him what was going on.

This gave him time to worry about the state of his wife. What if she died? He rubbed his hands over his face and paced up and down the floor. He couldn't hold still. The fear of losing her was too high. He was about to explode when the door to her door opened and a nurse came out.

"Is everything alright?" he asked and she smiled at him widely.

"Your wife has started breathing on her on. Now it's only a matter of time until she wakes up…" she said and relief washed over him.

She would wake up and that was all that mattered.


	27. Chapter 26

Jack storms into the room after being allowed to. He couldn't stand the wait after being separated from his love for so long. He sees the beautiful angel on the bed and can't stop himself from pulling her into a tight embrace. Well as tight as the baby bump allows him to.

He breathes in her all too familiar scent and smiles widely. How he missed to be able to do this. Neither of them said anything until Jack broke away. He looked at her, tears threatening to show just how much he missed her.

"Go slow here cowboy… Last time didn't end too well," she said and smiled at him, tears streaming down her face.

"God, Lis. I thought I had lost you," he said and kissed her forehead slowly.

"Nahhh, you're not getting out of this that easy," she said and laughed while he wiped away her tears. He knew exactly how she felt because he felt the same. Relief, that the two of them were alive and reunited.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," he said and pulled her in for a tender kiss.

"So how are you?" he asked and she leaned back, sighing.

"My head hurts pretty badly. I'm pumped with pain killers so I can't really say a lot about my broken wrist and the rest of my body," she said and looked at her bandaged wrist skeptically.

"I'm just relieved you're alive," he said and tears made their way down his face as well.

"Oh, don't cry… You're not getting rid of me so soon. We have a lot of fun times to go through… together," she said and kissed away his tears.

"I know but…"

"But what?"

"I could have you and our babies. I would have never forgiven myself for that," he said and she looked at him with an emotion he couldn't quite identify.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for this! You are not the reason this happened," she said and frowned at him. She didn't understand how he could blame himself for this. She didn't want him to feel bad for something he couldn't be held responsible for.

She didn't remember a lot from that night but she was told about the storm, which broke loose shortly after, by the doctors. She knew how much he hated storms after his only child died in one. Marion would be one of four from now on….

"You couldn't have prevented it. The driver of the truck was drunk during our crash. He wasn't himself," she said and squeezed his hand, showing him she'd be there for him.

"How do you know all of this? You've been in a coma and just woke up but you know so much already," he said and his eyes showed confusion.

"I might have been in a coma but I heard a lot. Even though indescribable I think I heard a lot of people talk to me. But you know what? It doesn't matter. I'm alive, you're alive and our babies will be fine as well, won't they?" she asked, a slight bit of worry shooting across her face.

"They will."

Lisa closed her eyes and Jack sensed her exhaustion. "When will we fly back to Canada? I can't wait to get back into my familiar surroundings," she said and Jack knew it would get to her if she knew what he knew so he tried to avoid the question to the best of his abilities.

"Let's not worry about that now. America is nice, you know," he said and she looked at him suspiciously. He knew that his last sentence gave him away and he slapped himself imaginarily.

"Jack what's wrong? You're the last person I know to speak so highly about a country besides his home country," she said, her voice showing concern and anger.

She always had that certain edge to her voice when she it came to things that alarmed her.

"We need to stay in Arizona for a while," he said and put his face in his hands.

He didn't want to fight so short after he got her back. The past few days were an emotional rollercoaster for him so he wasn't in the mood to fight about such a stupid thing.

"How long?"

"Until after the birth," he said, his voice muffled by his hands.

"What?! That's six months to go!" she almost yelled. He couldn't stop it any longer so he let the tears roll down his face freely. He brushed his hands through his hair, revealing his face to Lisa. Before she could take back her harsh words or say anything else, he said, "Five months. You've entered your fourth month of pregnancy. And is it really that bad? I mean, I sat here by your side for the past week. Before that I stared through the glass window, afraid you'd die once I look away. Now you're awake and we're fighting again. I don't want to fight anymore. I've lost you too many times to waste another second fighting. I could have lost you for good Lis. I'd stay here or even in France for the rest of my life if that would guarantee me a life with you. Can't you do the same?"

She felt incredibly sorry for her harsh words and knew this must have gotten to him pretty much as she almost never got to see this vulnerable side of him. She tried to sit up a bit more but the pain shooting through her body made her regret that decision.

"Jack listen. I'm very confused about this situation. I don't really know how to react right now. This has been very exhausting and the medication makes me feel emotional. Maybe it's not the medication but that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm sorry for snapping at you but I can't help myself. This was as hard on me as it must have been on you. I love you and I can't even begin to imagine what you have went through but I can imagine a bright future ahead… together," she said and tears made their way down her face as well.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."


End file.
